Reflection
by Aleh
Summary: Years after Akane's death, Ranma is offered a second chance in a new world.
1. Prologue One: The Surface of the Lake

Saotome Ranma sat, staring out into space. It was the three hundredth anniversary of Akane's  
murder, and he spent it in mourning, just as he had every year since. Despite his advanced age,   
almost three hundred and eighteen years, he looked exactly as he had as a teenager, when Akane  
was still alive.  
"Akane...," he mused aloud, thinking back to that awful day when his world was shattered,   
when he returned from his trip to the mountains, only to find her head caved in by a precise   
bonbori strike meant to remove the "obstacle". The Joketsuzoku had survived her by only a single   
year, each and every one of them the victim of his wrath.  
Suddenly, he was broken out of his musings by an oddly familiar voice. "Mind if I join you?"  
Not quite placing his company's voice, Ranma calmly nodded. "Nah, go ahead."  
Out of the corner of his eye, Ranma noticed the figure take a seat next to him. Detecting no  
hostility from the figure, Ranma resumed his musing. It was almost ten minutes before the other  
voice spoke again. "So, what happened?"  
"My fiancée... this is the anniversary of her death..."  
"Oh?" the figure asked, "Which one?"  
Ranma practically jumped in shock. "HOW-" he exclaimed, turning towards his companion, only  
to gasp in shock. "What?!" he yelled once he got a good look. His companion was... himself.  
  
-------------------  
  
Reflection,  
  
By  
  
Aleh,  
  
Prologue One: The Surface of the Lake  
  
-------------------  
  
A moment later, Ranma realized his error. His companion was extremely similar to him in  
appearance, but not *quite* identical. His face was younger, although not by much, he wore his hair  
in a ponytail, unlike Ranma's customary pigtail, and on his face were... god-marks?!?  
"Who are you?" Ranma asked after he got over his shock at the sight.  
"Budou-no-kami, Ranma."  
Ranma smirked. "I thought I didn't qualify for a wish," he said, looking deeply into his  
companion's eyes.  
"You don't," was the response, "You have far too much blood on your hands. Not that I blame  
you, mind... I would've done the same thing."  
Ranma frowned. "Why are you here, then?" he asked curiously.  
"I'm here to make you an offer."  
Ranma suddenly perked up. "You mean-" he started hopefully, only to be cut off.  
"No, I can't resurrect Akane," he said, frowning.  
"Oh," Ranma replied, his shoulders slumping in disappointment.  
"But..." he added teasingly, "I *CAN* offer you a second chance..."  
Ranma's eyes opened wide as he stared at Budou-no-kami. "What?!?" he exclaimed, feeling an   
odd mixture of happiness and shock.  
"I can offer you a second chance with Akane."  
Ranma was suddenly suspicious. "What's the catch?" he asked, hoping to avoid disappointment.  
Budou-no-kami chuckled. "Ranma, Ranma, Ranma," he started, "You're too suspicious for your  
own good."  
"Perhaps, but every time I've run into magic, it's caused more problems than it's solved."  
"That's because you've never encountered divine magic before. Besides, I need something from  
you."  
Ranma's eyes narrowed. "What?"  
"I need you to save the world."  
  
-------------------  
  
"Timeline R94328943-3245, Dimensional coordinates (23582.34, 356235.32, 3576456.34,   
4632646.43, 9842354.45, 40692835.26, 23598674.23, 23594023.53, 35623.95). In most respects, it's  
like your world was three hundred and two years ago. Barring interference, it will be reduced to a  
barren wasteland in around fifty years."  
Ranma nodded in response as Budou-no-kami continued pointing a stick at a holographic globe.  
"For reasons that I cannot discuss, it's important. Accordingly, I have been asked to provide  
the needed change. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to interfere directly. As I am not the   
manipulative type, I have chosen a simple approach: appoint a champion and ask them to do what I  
cannot."  
"And you want me to be this champion," Ranma added. It wasn't a question.  
"Yes. In approximately two days, your counterpart there is destined to die. If you accept,  
you will be inserted into his body. You will retain all of your memories and skills, although you  
will be limited by his physical form. Your ki-reserves will remain intact, however, although until  
such time as you can get your new body into shape, you will recover them more slowly."  
"He's not a martial artist, then?"  
"No," Budou-no-kami replied, "He's rather pathetic, actually. He has all of your potential,  
although none of your drive. He's, quite frankly, rather out of shape, and... well... let me put  
it this way. Gosunkugi Hikaru is his best friend."  
Ranma made a face of disgust.  
"I might add, however, that this version of Gosunkugi isn't as bad as yours. Still not the  
type that people really notice, although far less quirky."  
"Oh." Ranma looked almost relieved.  
"The small change I mentioned takes place around a year before your birth. As a result, your  
counterpart has a fraternal twin sister named Ranko, written 'Orchid Child'. Ranko *IS* into the  
martial arts, although Genma hasn't taken her on any lengthy training trips. The longest to date  
took a week. As a result, your counterpart doesn't have the same fiancée mess that you did, and  
the Tendou agreement has been decided to not apply, given that the only Saotome male is *NOT* a   
martial artist."  
"Hah," Ranma said with a chuckle, "I wouldn't think that *THAT* would stop them."  
Budou-no-kami chuckled as well. "No, it wouldn't, at least by itself. There's a story  
behind it, but you'll have to find it out on your own. After you arrive, I'd recommend taking  
Ranko into your confidence. You can trust her, and she'll be a valuable source of information. She  
may be suspicious at first--she doesn't get along with her brother very well--but it shouldn't be  
too hard to convince her that you're telling the truth."  
"Oh?" Ranma asked.  
"Yes, well, I'll leave the details to you. The Tendou family is much as you remember it;   
after Mrs. Tendou died, Souun fell apart emotionally. Kasumi took up the household chores, as well  
as generally becoming the mother figure for the others. After a brief but intense financial crisis,  
Nabiki became the provider, starting the activities that you remember in order to pay the bills.  
This version's somewhat less mercenary than the one you remember, due to the calming influence and  
support of her best friend, a Hino Rei. Their friendship didn't suffer due to her... activities...  
as Rei understood Nabiki's situation, and actually has been known to help at times. Recently, her  
circle of friends has expanded to include several others, although none of them go to Furinkan."  
"Wow. That's a big difference."  
"Not really. Nabiki's still obsessed with money, just not as much so. She still has her 'Ice  
Queen' image; she's just willing to drop it around her friends. She's every bit as loyal to her  
family as before, only she hasn't lost sight of her goals. Your Nabiki would have turned out the  
same way with a little more emotional support. Kasumi alone couldn't substitute for friendship."  
Ranma nodded in understanding.  
"The Chardin arrangement has been... taken care of, so that won't become an issue."  
"Why don't you seem happy about that?" Ranma asked suspiciously.  
"A person with a... vested interest... in the Tendous decided to take matters regarding the  
matter into her own hands. According to the newspapers, the plane that the Piccolette's branch of  
the Chardin family was taking to a family reunion was the target of a terrorist attack two years   
ago. There were no survivors."  
"Oh," Ranma whispered, "Who?"  
"I can't say," Ranma's companion replied, "Although the responsible party shouldn't be too  
much of a concern to you. She's not involved with the Yakuza or any such, if that's what you're  
worried about, and she isn't evil, just misguided."  
"I see," Ranma replied, "Don't think that I'm letting this drop, though."  
"She's present in this world, too. She just saw that you'd handle the situation, and left it  
at that. Without you present to take care of the problem, she had to take matters into her own  
hands."  
"Oh," Ranma said.  
"Akane is basically the same as when you first met. She's in the same class as your   
counterpart, although she hasn't really noticed him. She knows Ranko as a casual acquaintance, but  
they aren't really friends. Actually, Akane likes Ranko, who is one of the few girls at school who  
doesn't envy her so-called popularity, but hasn't really gotten a chance to talk to her. Ranko  
*ISN'T* in your class. Kunou and the Hentai Horde are in place, but your counterpart has never   
participated in it. It would be a good thing if Akane and Ranko were to meet; they're around the  
same level. Ranko's more skilled, but Akane is a lot stronger physically. They'd be good sparring  
partners should you decide to teach them."  
Ranma shook his head. "I should have guessed," he said, somewhat sarcastically.  
"What? That I'm encouraging the spread of the Art? I *AM* Budou-no-kami."  
"True," Ranma admitted.  
"Any questions?"  
"What about this world?" Ranma asked, waving at the distant scenery, "What happens to it?"  
"It goes on, Ranma," his companion said, "You're not needed here anymore. There are others  
who will continue your legacy. Humanity will go on as it always has."  
"Fine," Ranma replied, making what was quite possibly the biggest decision of his long life,  
"I accept."  
  
-------------------  
  
In the Gates of Time, Sailor Pluto screamed as one of the neccessary elements for Crystal  
Tokyo suddenly dissappeared.  
  
-------------------  
  
End Prologue One.  
  
-------------------  
  
Okay, so I'm starting another fic. Unlike my others, this one's going to be semi-serious.  
Ranma will be dealing with a whole set of problems, and quite possibly unrequitted love. In fact,  
he'll be dealing with just that at first: Akane doesn't even *KNOW* him, and is rather turned off  
on boys (thanks to the Hentai Horde). Hopefully this'll help me get over my case of writer's block.  
Regarding Akane's death, it occured over a year after canon Ranma (the manga). During that  
time, Akane and Ranma grew closer and admitted their feelings for eachother. Shampoo's attack was  
an act of desperation, as she had almost no chance left. Further details will come out later, when  
Ranma tells his story (Keep in mind that Ranma's the one talking, and that things are from *HIS*  
perspective). Ranma *HATES* the Joketsuzoku, even now. Personally, I don't like them that much,  
either, but that's beside the point. No, Ranma's not going to hunt them down again, and he's   
mellowed considerably over the years.  
Yes, I know that I'm leaving several questions unanswered. Why didn't Genma take the   
alternate Ranma on a training trip? Why did he allow that Ranma to *NOT* be a martial artist? Why  
did they drop the engagement? What happened to the Nerima Wrecking Crew? Why was Ranma still young   
three hundred years into the future? And, perhaps most importantly, what is the meanace that Ranma  
was sent to fight? Several of these questions will be answered in Chapter One, although several   
new ones will be raised. The meanace, however, will be left for the *DISTANT* future. Remember  
what Budou-no-kami said: that the world would be destroyed in "around fifty years". 


	2. Prologue Two: The Other Side of the Mirr...

Tendou Akane was in Hell. Kunou was bad enough, obsessing on her after she had beaten him in  
a freestyle fighting tournament, but when another student (he seemed nice enough, too) had asked   
her out (Akane would have accepted), Kunou had become violent, beating him within an inch of his  
life and sending him to the hospital. Now, he wouldn't even talk to her! As if that wasn't enough,  
Kunou had subsequently decreed that only one who could beat her in combat would "have the right to  
claim the fierce tigress Tendou Akane". As a result, she was being treated like a possession, and  
obsessed over to such a degree that she had to beat up almost fifty students (and Kunou) every   
morning just to get to class on time!  
Still worse, the other girls at school didn't understand her plight. They were treating her  
like some kind of pariah for her so-called "popularity" with the boys. At least Sayuri and Yuka,  
two of her oldest friends, understood and were sympathetic. A few of the other girls were somewhat  
understanding as well, not to mention her sisters, but still...  
Tofu-sensei was as understanding as always, and probably the only thing keeping her from   
becoming turned off towards men altogether and becoming some kind of raving lesbian.   
Intellectually, she understood that not *all* men were perverts, or even most, but it certainly  
seemed like it!  
  
-------------------  
  
Reflection,  
  
By  
  
Aleh,  
  
Prologue Two: The Other Side of the Mirror  
  
-------------------  
  
Meanwhile, Tendou Nabiki was frustrated. She had *TRIED* to convince Kunou that Akane simply  
didn't like him. She had *TRIED* to get him to call off the morning fights. In fact, she had  
managed to make the Hentai Horde, as Akane called it, to be considerably smaller than it would have  
been without her efforts. The remainder were the true perverts and idiots, those who 'thought with  
their other head', as she had heard somewhere. She had considered going so far as to blackmail  
Kunou into leaving Akane alone, but she was well aware that without Kunou's money, her family would  
lose the dojo, and were she to blackmail him, he wouldn't be nearly as forthcoming. As ironic as it  
was, Kunou's obsession with Akane was helping her family keep out of debt. At least Akane   
understood her problem and her actions... As she mused, her thoughts turned more and more towards  
her entire situation.  
Kasumi was, as always, the family's anchor, the center of stability in the midst of chaos.  
Nabiki didn't know what she'd do without her there to provide an attentive ear to Nabiki's   
problems, the kind of gentile emotional support that she was famous for, and, when things got to  
be too much for Nabiki to handle, a shoulder to cry on.  
Of course, Nabiki couldn't forget her best friend, the person who had helped break her out of  
the emotional shell that she had retreated into after her mother's death. Rei had been there when   
no one else was, when no one else *COULD* be, and Nabiki still owed her a debt of gratitude. Rei,   
of course, denied that, saying that it was only what anyone would have done when seeing a friend   
in such pain, but that only made Nabiki more grateful, more thankful that she had a friend like   
her.  
Nabiki only regretted that Rei lived so far away. While Juuban and Nerima were both wards of  
Tokyo, it was still a long enough trip that she couldn't make it on a daily basis. It would be nice  
if they went to the same school, but the fact that they stayed as close as they did despite the  
difficulty only made Nabiki treasure the friendship more. Lately, Rei had made a group of friends,  
and introduced Nabiki to them. Actually, they considered Nabiki an honorary member, treating her  
as one of them whenever she could stop by. It was nice to have a place that she could belong,  
especially after having to sacrifice her place in the usual circles at Furinkan in order to bring  
in enough money to keep the dojo afloat. True, she had her place, but it was the position of a  
distant and aloof businesswoman, a ruthless mercenary. Occasionally people would give her sympathy  
for her situation, even pity, but that only made things worse.  
The thought of Rei's friends brought a slight smile to Nabiki's face. Tsukino Usagi was a  
ditz, the eternal personification of the stereotypical blonde, yet had a quiet inner strength and  
a virtual aura of friendliness that made you just want to reach out and hug her. Usagi-chan was  
almost like Kasumi in that regard (although most certainly *NOT* in cooking skills), although her  
aura was that of a whirlwind, healing and making you lose track of your wounds through sheer   
activity, while Kasumi's was that of a soothing breeze, relaxing you until you forgot your more   
mundane aches and pains.  
Mizuno Ami, on the other hand, was a quiet bookworm, the eternally shy girl who nonetheless  
had a spine of steel. When pressed, Ami was loyal beyond belief, always there for those who she  
cared for. In many ways, she was Usagi's opposite, yet they had the same kind, caring heart.  
Kino Makoto was another example of the same effect. On the surface, she was the eternal   
tomboy, much like Akane in that regard, and a notorious flirt (although not *QUITE* as bad as   
Minako) who was always comparing people to her 'old sempai'. Beneath that exterior, however, was  
a kindred soul to the others, someone who was loyal unto death to her friends. Nabiki was extremely  
proud to count herself among that number.  
Aino Minako was another matter. She had the bearing of someone who had been through hell and  
back, that of a war veteran in many respects. True, you had to look into her eyes to see it, but  
it was there. She had a long and painful past, one that she didn't talk about much. On the other  
hand, she was very cheerful (overcompensating, perhaps), and even more of a flirt and boy-chaser  
than Makoto. Once again, she was loyal to her friends, and essentially a kind person (although  
Nabiki sincerely hoped that she and Usagi never got together with Akane in the kitchen).  
At a glance, the five of them had almost nothing in common, but beyond the superficial   
details, they were so much alike that it was actually scary (well, in some regards, anyways), and   
that was without even counting what Nabiki knew about them. Who would have thought that Rei was a  
reincarnated princess from an ancient magical civilization? Nabiki sighed at the thought. While it  
would've been nice in some regards to be one of the Senshi, she knew that it wasn't something for  
her. After all, Nabiki wasn't much of a fighter (then again, neither were Ami or Usagi, but that  
was beside the point), and wouldn't last a week in the superheroine business. She'd just stay in   
the background and help in her own quiet way, as she always did.  
  
-------------------  
  
Kasumi was worried. Her little sister had to deal with a horde of perverted boys every   
morning, and neither she nor Nabiki could do anything about it. That Kunou boy was so... not nice!   
Really! The way he went after Akane was just not proper! Kasumi was almost tempted to scold him!  
And then there was Nabiki. Kasumi was certain that she was hiding something from her, but  
Kasumi couldn't figure out what. She thought that it had something to do with those new friends of  
hers, and it couldn't be something too bad... after all, they were such nice girls. Oh, well.  
Whatever it was, she was certain that everything would turn out alright... now she just had to   
return this book to Tofu-sensei...  
Over at a nearby clinic, a certain doctor's glasses fogged up for no apparent reason.  
  
-------------------  
  
Saotome Ranko was just plain annoyed. Just because her brother couldn't run ten yards without  
gasping for breath wasn't a reason to make fun of the Art. Really, he just couldn't understand   
it... after all, she *WAS* the heir to the Musabetsu Kakutou Saotome Ryu. It only made sense that  
she would take it seriously, although she was beginning to think that her father didn't. Her   
brother really didn't have to tease her about it. Really, saying that she was more of a man than  
he was! Not that he was much of one, but that was beside the point. And the pranks...  
  
-------------------  
  
In Juuban, Hino Rei sat in front of the Sacred Fire, trying to find anything that could help  
the Senshi find the Messiah. Staring into the blessed flame, she began to make out images, things  
beyond the Vision of Silence that had recently haunted her readings. As she gazed into her  
prophetic pyrotechnics, her view shifted, first to an image of a pigtailed boy fighting an eight-  
headed dragon in a forest, then the same boy battling a pheonix. She gasped in awe as the fight  
destroyed a mountain, and again as the pheonix met its bloody end. Her eyes widened in shock as she  
saw him screaming in grief over a body that she instantly recognised as Tendou Akane's and then  
crying tears of joy as Akane's still form opened her eyes. Her mouth opened in surprise as she saw  
him weeping over a bloody corpse, mangled almost beyond recognition. Her eyes bugged out as the  
image shifted to him facing off against a small army, his eyes showing endless pain, grief, rage  
and hatred. Her jaw dropped as she saw him tear into his opponents, firing blades of nothingness  
that sliced his foes into pieces and tearing into them with claws of blue energy. She watched as  
the image became scenes of other fights, as he slew demon after demon, as he hunted youma after  
youma. Then the image shifted to him standing next to an old and grey Nabiki, still looking almost  
entirely unchanged. Next, it became him fighting the pheonix once again, his opponent's fires   
seeming to sink into his skin as he effortlessly tore his foe apart. With that, the images ended  
and Rei almost ran to her communicator to call the others. This bore looking into.  
  
-------------------  
  
In the Gates of Time, Sailor Pluto developed a headache as the timeline began to splinter and  
frey.  
  
-------------------  
  
End Prologue Two  
  
-------------------  
  
Okay, I've been getting a lot of comparisons to Careful Destiny. Yes, the stories so far bear  
some similarity. What people don't seem to realize is that Careful Destiny is just one of an entire  
genre of fanfiction. Messed Up and Field of Change are good examples of two other ones based on  
Ranma. Heck, there's even a playstation game (Chrono Cross) based on the theme. Several things are  
the same in the two worlds, simply because the chains of events leading up to them were   
undisturbed. Several other things are different as well. This is *NOT* an altered version of the  
Careful Destiny universe; it's an alteration of the canon Ranma/Sailor Moon universe. Careful  
Destiny's world is similar in some respects because the initial changes are similar.  
Some guy calling himself 'Otaku' gave me the most constructive review following this theme  
that I've seen yet, so I'm going to take the time to answer his points in order.  
  
So you're dropping Ranma into a modified version of the "Careful Destiny" universe?   
  
Nope.  
  
That could be pretty cool, just as long as you don't use the same plot devices:   
1)Ranma refuses to leave and has a falling out with Genma early on,   
  
Refuses to leave? Leave what/where? As for having a falling out, that's inevitable in some   
form or another. Ranma's going to be pretty pissed at Genma very quickly, especially with what   
Genma thinks of him (or his alternate self).  
  
2)other-Ranma's got a girlfriend who acts as a foil to his pursuit of a relationship with Akane,   
  
Nope. He's too pathetic for that.  
  
3)his relationship with Ranko develops into something nearly incestuous...You get the idea. :)  
  
Not going to happen. I never liked that about CD, anyway.  
  
Anyway, this looks like it might be a fun read, so which of the scouts is Nabiki?  
  
I hope this prologue answered *THAT* question.  
  
Anyway, this prologue served to set the stage in the second universe. Just to clear up   
continuity questions, Ranma's world (Or World A) is the canon Ranmaverse, three hundred and one   
years after the end of the manga. Sailor Moon was going on in the background during this time,  
although Ranma never came into contact with those events. He knows of the Senshi only as a vague   
urban legend. The first prologue, including the bit about Sailor Pluto, takes place in that world.  
The other world (or World B) is a universe where Ranma never went on the infamous training  
trip, for reasons that will become clear later, and as such has had his life go *VERY* differently,  
partially because he never went on the trip, and partially for the *REASONS* that he never went  
on the trip. Sailor Moon's timeline has a minor divergance which will be explained later. Time-  
wise, it's around the time that Ranma would show up at the Tendou Dojo in canon Ranma and just   
before the deaths of Uranus and Neptune in Sailor Moon.   
Oh, and Vodka, I deleted your review because you ignored something I said in the author's  
notes when writing it, not because I disagreed with it, and left me no way to respond. If you had   
left me an e-mail address or some way to contact you, I would've just sent an explanation and   
responded publicly in Chapter One. To answer your accusations, however, I am not portraying Shampoo  
as a homicidal maniac. I haven't given the details of what happened, and what I have given has been  
from Ranma's perspective. Regarding your statement about chichés, I have no problem with them,   
although I generally try to avoid or parody them. See "Now This Is Just Plain Nuts" for a number of  
examples of the latter. In summary: you don't know what happened, except that Shampoo killed Akane.  
You don't know why she did it, what the circumstances were, and so on. I commented in my author's  
notes for the first prologue about that, and you chose to ignore it. I do not generally delete  
reviews unless they're spam, make no sense (I once deleted a review that read "vry fny pls cntnu"  
from The Art), or that don't give me a chance to respond to a statement that I normally would.  
In short, if you place a copy of your first review and leave an e-mail address, I'd be glad  
to leave it there. If you disagree with my portrayal of a character, I'd be glad to discuss it with  
you. If you think that my works are worthless pieces of trash, I'd like to know why so that I can  
improve them. If you like my stories, I'm glad you enjoy them. If you have mixed feelings, I'd  
absolutely love to talk about the reasons. After all, that's one of the best ways for me to improve  
my writing. If, on the other hand, you flame me in a review, I'll delete it. If you write a review  
that has nothing to do with the story, I'll delete it. Et cetera. Now I'm updating my story simply  
with a response to your reviews, just because you didn't give me any other way to do it. I hope   
that you read this and appreciate the effort involved. 


	3. Chapter One: Through the Looking Glass

Disclaimer:  
  
I don't own Ranma Nibunnoichi. I don't own Sailor Moon. Yet. Once my grand scheme for world  
domination falls into place... Hehe...  
  
-------------------  
  
Ranma awoke with a start. Something about his body felt... off. Quickly doing an internal  
assessment, he felt several problems. His ki-flows were wildly distorted, feeling as if something  
had taken his life force and stirred it around with an eggbeater. His knees showed signs of old  
injuries, ones that had never properly healed. In fact, if he read them right, they had been   
inflicted before his bones had fully hardened after birth. Only a few people he knew of had the   
ability to cause this, and he quickly decided who it must've been.  
"Oh, great. Pops must've really pissed off Happousai this time," he thought as he began   
losing himself in the lengthy process of repairing his life-force, "Wonder what he did to the   
Pervert to warrant this."  
As he realized just how long it was going to take, he began to grumble. "Thank goodness it's  
a Sunday," he murmured, untangling a particularly nasty knot.  
  
-------------------  
  
Reflection,  
  
By  
  
Aleh,  
  
Chapter One: Through the Looking Glass  
  
-------------------  
  
Saotome Nodoka was worried. Even allowing for Ranma's habit of sleeping in late and the fact  
that there wasn't any school today... "He should have been down an hour ago, at the latest," she  
thought, walking over to the back yard where Ranko and Genma were sparring.  
"Have either of you seen Ranma?" she asked, and watched in amusement as they fell to the   
ground in a tangle of limbs as they turned to respond, forgetting that they were currently in the  
air.  
"No, Mom," Ranko said after she had managed to untangle herself, "Maybe he's still asleep?"  
Genma just grunted. "What a worthless excuse for a boy. Not only is he a cripple, but   
sleeping in?"  
Nodoka quietly hit him over the head with a small mallet. "None of that, Dearest. You know  
what I think about you talking like that about our son."  
Genma grunted again, managing to look almost put-upon.  
"I'll check his room, then," Nodoka said, turning around and walking to the staircase.  
"You do that!" Ranko yelled as she and Genma started up again.  
  
-------------------  
  
Nodoka opened her son's door quietly, trying to avoid waking him up if he was still asleep.  
What she saw shocked her beyond belief. Ranma was sitting on his bed, glowing. Nodoka had been   
around martial artists long enough to recognize a battle aura when she saw one, so she *KNEW* what  
it was, but for her son, who had never taken an interest in fighting, to show one... the thought  
boggled her mind. She quickly shut the door, being careful not to disturb him, and practically ran  
downstairs. "Ranko, Genma, come quickly! Something's wrong with Ranma!" she yelled, putting quite a  
bit of urgency into her words.  
"Coming, Mom!" Ranko called back, missing a kick and being slammed to the ground in her   
distraction.  
"Bah," Genma said, "A true martial artist never loses his... or her... *grumble* focus!"  
"Stupid Pops," Ranko said, standing up and walking in, "I don't care what's wrong with the  
bakayarou, but Mom would be really upset if anything happened to him."  
Genma just grumbled some more.  
  
-------------------  
  
Ranko just stared. Her brother, the wimp, was literally glowing with ki. What's more, she  
hadn't sensed it until she stepped into the room. The level of ki-mastery required for that... she  
didn't think that even her father had that kind of control. As if that wasn't enough, the *AMOUNT*  
of ki that she *DID* sense was... well... impressive, to put it mildly.  
She was shocked out of her ruminations when Ranma lifted his head and stared her in the eyes.  
"You can close your mouth now," he said lightly, instantly dropping the aura and hiding his  
reserves.  
  
-------------------  
  
As Ranma finished repairing his ki, he became aware of another presence in the room with him.  
He opened his eyes to a comical sight. An exact duplicate of his old cursed form was standing in  
the doorway, her jaw agape. Ranma inwardly chuckled at the image. Quickly hiding his ki, he spoke  
up. "You can close your mouth now."  
  
-------------------  
  
"Wha... how... where..."  
Ranko was standing, stuttering somewhat, as she tried to reconcile what she had just seen   
with her mental image of her brother. Ranma just raised an eyebrow, inwardly laughing at the sight.  
The years had mellowed him considerably, and the 'Ancient Wise One' act was almost second nature  
to him.  
"Please," he said, gesturing to the chair next to his desk, "Take a seat. I have a story to  
tell you."  
Ranko quietly sat down and looked towards her brother. Ranma sighed. "I'm just glad that   
you're the only one who saw that," he commented idly.  
"I'm not," she remarked, beginning to get over her shock, "Mom called me over when she did."  
Ranma sighed and buried his face in his hands. "Damn. At least it wasn't Oyaji."  
The shock evaporated off of Ranko's face as she began to grin. "Yeah. He's not exactly  
trustworthy, is he?"  
"Bingo," Ranma said, chuckling, "He'd do anything for food."  
Ranko laughed a little more before she remembered why she was here. "So, what's the story?"  
she asked, not quite as serious as before.  
"Well... First, I need you to promise that you won't tell any of this to anyone. Not a word  
of it leaves this room unless I decide otherwise."  
Ranko paused for a moment, considering. "Deal," she said reluctantly, "So what's going on?"  
"Once, a long time ago, there was a martial artist. He was the best of his generation; some  
would say the best who ever lived."  
Ranko nodded in understanding. "So what does this have to do with you?" she asked.  
"You'll see," Ranma replied.  
Ranko just motioned for Ranma to continue.  
"Well, he was persued by a number of women, each of whom claimed to be in love with him. He,  
however, didn't return their affections. He went through a number of adventures, eventually growing  
close to a girl. One day, he left on a training trip, planning to return to challenge the   
grandmaster of his school for his title."  
Ranko nodded slowly.  
"One of his suitors, an Amazon named Xian Pu, saw something in his bag. An engagement ring.   
She guessed, correctly, that he was planning on asking the girl that he loved to marry him upon his   
victory."  
Ranko was now listening intently. "So what happened?"  
"The man returned to find the woman he loved dead, murdered by Xian Pu. His family, as well  
as his beloved's, helped him recover. He avenged her death, but was left hollow inside afterwords.  
He threw himself into his Art, reaching levels that he had never dreamed of before, but then   
something else happened."  
"What?" she asked.  
"Xian Pu's villiage attempted to 'avenge' her loss," Ranma said, almost spitting out the   
words, "They sent a hunting party after him. They couldn't harm him... but one day, they attacked  
and murdered his mother."  
Ranko's eyes widened.  
"Their people ceased to exist shortly after that."  
Ranko's jaw dropped somewhat.  
"The man returned to his home, feeling even more hollow than before. He walked to the   
graveyard where the woman he loved and his mother were buried, curled up on the ground, and cried.   
It was almost two days before he left."  
"What does this have to do with you?" she asked again, still not understanding.  
"Let me finish," Ranma replied, "The story doesn't end there."  
Ranko again nodded and sat back in her chair.  
"Two months later, he found that he wasn't aging."  
"What? Why?"  
"According to the man who was grandmaster of his school, it's possible to slow or even stop   
aging by using ki. Most masters of the Art are at least seventy before they even begin to reach   
that level; he was doing it subconsciously at eighteen."  
Ranko's eyes widened again. "Wow. He was good, wasn't he?"  
Ranma smiled at her unintentional compliment. "Yes," he said with a smirk, "He is."  
"Is?"  
"He's still alive."  
"Oh."  
"Anyway, he finally got around to challenging the grandmaster. After he won, he left home,  
hoping to leave the memories behind. He travelled the world, becoming known as 'Tenmou no Heijin',  
the Blade of Heaven's Vengeance, as he killed demon after demon, youma after youma. He had a number  
of adventures, none of which are terribly relevant, before settling down once again, hoping to   
train an heir in the Art."  
"Is that you?" Ranko commented in amazement.  
Ranma chuckled. "No," he said, "He never found one. He wanted someone who understood the Art  
as he did, who could live it. If you haven't noticed, such people are rare."  
Ranko nodded. She had noticed that, too.  
Ranma sighed. "After many years, he left, taking up the mantle of the Tenmou no Heijin once  
again. The cycle repeated until the three hundredth anniversary of his love's death."  
"What happened?"  
Ranma smiled. "A kami made him an offer."  
"Oh?"  
"Budou-no-kami, actually. He told the man that he had been asked to save another world, one  
parallel to the one that the man was from. Because of the rules that the kami operate under,  
Budou-no-kami couldn't do it himself, so he chose a champion."  
"The man, right?"  
Ranma nodded. "The man's counterpart on that world was destined to die within a few days.  
Budou-no-kami offered to take the man's mind and soul and place them within that his counterpart's  
body. The other world, you see, was, and is, much like the world of the man's youth, only differing  
slightly. His counterpart wasn't a martial artist, despite being in a family of such, and...   
well... was rather pathetic, according to Budou-no-kami. Actually, upon arriving, the man found   
that his counterpart had been subjected to several shiatsu and other ki-manipulation techniques  
which would pretty much rob him of any potential to learn the basics of his Art."  
By now, Ranko had figured out what was going on. Her eyes widened considerably as   
understanding dawned.  
"So, the man set about removing those influences and straightening out his aura.   
Unfortunately, he lost trach of time, and his counterpart's mother, his mother's counterpart, or  
his mother, depending on how you look at it, came in to check on him and found him showing his   
aura as he worked."  
Ranma casually gestured towards Ranko. "And you know the rest," he finished, looking into  
his sister's eyes. "His mother panicked and called his sister, who saw the same thing. He   
remembered Budou-no-kami's advice, that she was worthy of his trust, and took her into his   
confidence, telling her his story. And so, here we are, talking about my life."  
Ranko's jaw dropped.  
"Ranma, Ranko," Nodoka said, opening the door and sticking her head in, "Are you alright?"  
Ranko briefly shook her head, fighting off the effects of shock. "We're fine, Mom," Ranma   
replied, "We were just talking for a bit."  
"Okay, dear," Nodoka commented, leaving, "Lunch is ready by the way."  
Ranma just nodded and turned to Ranko. "We'll finish this later. For now, lunch is waiting."  
  
-------------------  
  
Lunch was a relatively quiet affair. Ranko was preoccupied with her thoughts, to the point  
that Genma managed to steal a good portion of her food. Ranma was busy assuring Nodoka that yes, he  
really was alright, and that no, she didn't need to worry about him. Genma, well, he wouldn't   
notice if Ranma suddenly grew wings and started calling himself 'Saffron'.  
Meanwhile, Ranma thought about what to do about the morning mob. He couldn't stand to see  
Akane go through that hell one day longer than he had to, but the only permanent solution,   
challenging Kunou, would have to wait until he had gotten somewhat into shape. Throwing a ki-blast,  
or some such, at Kunou before he attacked Akane would be too obvious and would attract attention   
of a sort that he couldn't deal with until he could recover his ki-reserves at a decent rate. He  
was certain that he could beat any challenger who might come as a result, but the resulting ki-  
depletion would leave him weak for days, or weeks in the case of Herb or someone like him, and   
would leave him unable to fight in an emergency. Magic was also out, as he both didn't want to lend  
credence to Kunou's inevitable claims of him being a 'foul sorcerer' and didn't have the materials  
for most of his tricks available. It was then that he remembered one of his adventures shortly   
after challenging Happousai, when he learned more than he wanted to know about the source of the  
Kunou family's... eccentricity. With that, he inwardly smiled as he thought of the perfect   
solution.  
Ranko, on the other hand, was simply digesting what she had heard from Ranma. It was obvious  
that he could help her in the Art; she boggled at the thought of the level that he'd have to be at  
after even half of what she had heard him mention, and she *KNEW* that there was a lot that he had  
left out. At that thought, though, she paused. Ranma, the one she knew, was a notoriously poor   
liar. Was this new Ranma just as bad? She realized that she had assumed too much when talking with   
him, and would have to be more suspicious from now on. As for her 'old' brother, she considered   
what had happened. According to Ranma, her 'old' brother was destined to die anyway. She thought   
about blaming Ranma for his, in a sense, death, but she realized that she couldn't really. After   
all, he *HAD* said that he came here to save the world. Besides, he was a worthless, pathetic   
excuse for a human being anyway, and this way, her mother was spared the grief that would   
inevitably follow otherwise. Now... well, she didn't love this new Ranma (AS A BROTHER, you   
hentai!), at least not yet, but she could see herself coming to... assuming he was telling the   
truth, anyway.  
Nodoka was worried about Ranma, as shown by her tendency to ask him every few seconds if he  
*REALLY* was feeling alright. Of course, she had some basis for it; Ranma had been a weak and   
sickly child ever since that... incident... when he was almost a month old.  
Genma was just eating, only noting that Ranko wasn't defending her plate as well as she   
usually did. "The girl's getting soft," he thought, clueless as always.  
  
-------------------  
  
After they finished eating, Ranma excused himself from the table and went upstairs to his  
room. Ranko followed shortly, planning on continuing their earlier conversation. Nodoka left to  
clean up, and Genma went off to go get drunk.  
Ranko found Ranma searching through his desk, eventually withdrawing a quantity of paper and  
ink. She sat on his bed, watching him continue as he took out a calligraphy brush.  
"Ahehem," she said, clearing her throat to get his attention.  
"Just a moment, Ranko," he replied, "I'm getting ready for tomorrow."  
"Oh," she added, waiting until he sat down and faced her.  
"So," Ranma started, "Where were we?"  
"Well, I thought about what we talked about..."  
Ranma nodded. "I don't doubt that you have a lot of questions."  
"Yeah," Ranko agreed, "I do."  
Ranma just gestured for her to continue.  
"Well... first off, what happened to 'my' Ranma?" she asked, putting some emphasis on the   
'my'.  
Ranma chuckled. "You don't know much about dimensional counterparts, do you?" he asked,   
smirking slightly.  
"Huh?" Ranko asked, thoroughly confused.  
Ranma held out his hand, summoning a ball of light. "I suppose that you've heard of the   
theory that all things are fragments of the same being," he started, waiting for Ranko's nod,   
"Well, imagine that this ball is that 'first' soul."  
Ranko nodded again, understanding.  
"Now," he said as the ball split into pieces, "Each of these is a universe."  
"Right," she said, "An infinite number of worlds. I've read enough science fiction to get the  
idea."  
Ranma just nodded in confirmation as each ball became a hollow sphere filled with smaller  
motes of light. "Now, imagine that each of these smaller lights is a person's soul."  
"Okay..." Ranko replied, following but not understanding what this had to do with the   
question.  
"Now, then, universes periodically hit junctions where they branch off from eachother,   
becoming two or more 'new' universes."  
"Huh?" Ranko grunted, becoming lost.  
"How to explain..." Ranma mused. "Okay," he started after a moment, "Occasionally, an event  
can go two or more ways; two or more things can happen. If the event is important enough, it causes  
a split. In one universe, the first possibility happens; in the second, the second occurs, and so  
on."  
"Okay..."  
The miniature lights within some of the spheres began to split, eventually gathering on   
either side of each their respective globes, which then split as well. "Now, then, you have two  
versions of each person, one in each universe."  
Ranko nodded yet again, still not understanding why he was saying this.  
"Now comes the tricky part. Each 'version' of the person is essentially a piece of the same  
soul. It's a heck of a lot more complex than that, actually, and there are exceptions, but it's a  
useful concept."  
Ranko started to see where Ranma was going as she nodded her head again.  
"Now, my soul was taken from my universe," Ranma continued as one of the smaller lights left  
its sphere, "And placed in this one." The light entered another 'universe'.  
"I see," Ranko said.  
"Once it entered," Ranma went on, "it was placed in this body, where it encountered its twin,  
another of its fragments."  
Ranko now understood. "So the two pieces..."  
Ranma nodded in agreement as the voyaging light settled next to and fused with its   
counterpart in its new home. "Fit together like pieces in a puzzle," he acknowledged as the   
elaborate ki-manifestation faded. "Of course, it's a lot more complex than that," he continued,   
"but it's the best way to explain it."  
"So why don't you have his memories? His personality?"  
Ranma smirked. "As I said earlier, it was an oversimplification."  
"Oh," Ranko said, somewhat confused.  
"Just don't ask me to give that demonstration again; generating ki-illusions like that is  
quite draining."  
Ranko boggled. "You were doing that with ki?!?" she gasped, "I didn't sense anything!"  
Ranma smiled. "I cloaked my aura," he replied, "And I'm afraid that I can't do anything with  
much more detail than that. There are limits to even my control of my aura."  
"Oh," Ranko said, inwardly goggling at the insane levels of ki-control that Ranma had just  
shown.  
"Anything else?" Ranma asked amusedly, reaching over and starting to work on one of the   
pieces of paper with his aura.  
"What *ARE* you doing?"  
Ranma chuckled. "Making wards," he answered, "You're really supposed to use special materials  
for this, but normal ink and paper will do in a pinch."  
"Huh?"  
Ranma just chuckled some more as the paper picked up a golden glow from the energy he was   
forcing through it. "I've been hunting and killing demons for hundreds of years, Ranko," Ranma   
commented, "Don't you think that I'd manage to pick up a few tricks?"  
"Oh," Ranko said, "Why're you doing that with your ki?"  
"What?" Ranma asked, "Channeling it into the paper?"  
"Yeah," Ranko replied, "And what're they for?"  
"Well, one question at a time," Ranma answered, "Most spirit wards use specific kinds of  
paper, with ki-patterns locked in through the ink and a minor investment of ki from the person who   
makes them."  
"Okay."  
"We use the kind of paper we do because we've found that it's easier to charge, and the ink  
we do because it alters the ki-related properties of the paper in the best way. Different kinds of  
ink and paper combinations have different effects on ki, so I can't really be more specific.  
"Now, you can theoretically lock any pattern you want into any object, but it's extremely  
difficult to do so. Right now, I'm priming the paper, forcing it to accept a pattern very close to  
the one I want it to pick up eventually."  
"Why aren't I sensing anything?"  
"Three reasons, really. First off, despite the glow this stack of paper's picked up, it only  
uses a minute amount of personal ki. The vast majority of it is environmental ki filling the paper   
as I'm forcing it to accept it."  
"Go on," said Ranko.  
"Secondly, I'm still cloaking my aura. I don't want Oyaji noticing anything until I'm ready  
to deal with him."  
"I see."  
"And, thirdly, I'm reabsorbing what personal ki I'm using almost as quickly as I'm using it.  
It's slower going, but it's far less tiring, and I'm going to need to save as much ki as I can in  
case of an emergency. The reabsorption process interferes with most beginners' ki-senses."  
"Hey!" Ranko yelled, "I'm NOT a beginner!"  
Ranma chuckled. "I can tell by your aura that you're pretty talented, yes, but it's equally  
obvious that you haven't been seriously trained. You only know a few, very basic, methods for   
detecting and manipulating ki."  
Ranko looked half-mollified, half-angry.  
"Frankly," Ranma continued, "I'm surprised that Oyaji's even taught you as much as he has."  
Ranko looked ready to explode. "You mean he hasn't been taking me seriously?" she asked, her  
voice a dead calm.  
"Nope," Ranma replied, "Ask him about the Yama-sen-ken and Umi-sen-ken sometime. Not to   
mention that he's only taught you the basics of how to use ki to boost your strength, speed and   
stamina. Actually, he's only taught you about as much as you can learn in just about any kenpo   
dojo."  
Ranko was now quietly steaming. "He's dead," she said flatly.  
Ranma sighed as he finished with the paper, casually cutting it into strips of the proper  
size with his ki.  
Ranko's eyes bugged out. "How'd you do that?!" she exclaimed, looking at where he had cut the  
proto-wards.  
"When I was ten, Oyaji got a manual for a supposedly invincible martial arts technique, the  
Neko-ken."  
Ranko gestured for him to continue.  
"Of course, he made me learn it, even though he hadn't finished reading the instructions."  
Ranko shook her head. "Stupid pops," she grumbled.  
"Yep," Ranma replied, "The manual went on to say that it was a technique that only an idiot  
would teach, but he taught it without reading that part."  
"That's Oyaji, all right," Ranko commented.  
"Well, the training involved wrapping me up in fish sausage and throwing me into a pit of   
starving cats."  
Ranko gasped.  
"Obviously, I became ailurophobic."  
Ranko chuckled.  
"Anyway, when my fear of cats reached its peak, my mind would retreat, and I'd actually think  
I was a cat. When I was like that, I pretty much acted like one, including manifesting ki-claws."  
Ranko nodded in understanding.  
"Anyway, Happousai, Oyaji's old master, helped me get control of it. I'm not afraid of them  
anymore, and I can call on the Neko-ken's power as needed. I just used the ki-claws to slice the  
paper."  
"Wow," she said, "They don't use much ki, do they?"  
Ranma shook his head. "Not for small things, no. The larger I make them or the harder the  
stuff I cut through, the more ki they use. I'd just use scissors, but these wards," he said,  
gesturing at them and grabbing the ink, "need to be cut precisely."  
"Oh," Ranko replied.  
"So," Ranma added, grabbing the brush and dipping it into the ink, "Anything else?"  
"Well...," Ranko asked, "The girl you fell in love with..."  
Ranma looked up from where he was carefully caligraphing a kanji. "Yes?"  
"Do I know her?"  
Ranma chuckled. "Not really," he said after a moment, "But you do know *OF* her. Budou-no-  
kami told me that you'd never gotten to have much of a conversation with her."  
"What's her name?" Ranko asked curiously.  
"Tendou Akane."  
  
-------------------  
  
Old A.N.:  
So... another chapter done. Heh. Apparently, Tannim's e-mail link for this story has been  
sending comments to Fred Herriot. Just to clear up the confusion, my e-mail address is   
CheezeA@clemson.edu or Aleh@aol.com. I generally prefer the clemson.edu address; I just use the AOL   
one for FFML-related stuff and a few other things.  
Sorry this is as short as it is, but my writing style just seems to work best with short   
chapters; go figure.  
Anyway, I hope that I answered a few of the questions that I mentioned in the first prologue,  
and hinted at the answers to a few others. As for new questions... oh, there were quite a few holes  
in Ranma's story, weren't there? I didn't mention the fates of the Nerima Wrecking Crew, except  
Akane, Ranma, and the Amazons, so that's still up in the air. Why did Budou-no-kami say that  
Ranma's counterpart was pathetic? What happened between Genma and Happy after Ranma's birth?  
Expect some answers next time... just not too many. :-). I know and you don't! Biiii-da!  
Hehe. I'm in a good mood, aren't I?  
  
Current A.N.:   
I started writing Chapter Two, then realized that it didn't really deserve its own chapter.   
Hehe. Oops. Anyway, I folded it into Ch. One, so to speak. Oh, well. At least those of you who   
complained about Chapter One being too short get a new, longer version.  
Anyway, on reflection (pardon the pun), I realized that a good portion of the backstory for  
this was probably influenced by a rather lengthy e-mail discussion I had with Arun, the author of  
Destiny. Sorry for not giving you credit earlier. :-).  
(For the record, the conversation was on just what it would take for Ranma to kill the   
Amazons, for his upcoming new version of his fic 'Heaven and Earth', which bears little to no  
resemblance to the original version.)  
Additional kudos to Mike Rever, for making me think about Ranko's reaction in more detail,  
and to Cory D. Rose, for being the first other good fanfiction writer to give me positive feedback  
on this work.  
(Others have done so for my other writings, but Cory was the first for this one. :-).)  
Oh, and as to why Ranko didn't press her question about what the wards were for... she   
forgot. With everything else that Ranma told her, she kinda got distracted. :-). 


	4. Chapter Two: The Crossing of the Paths

Disclaimer:  
  
My name is not Takahashi Rumiko, Takeuchi Naoko, or Fujishima Kosuke. I   
did not create Ranma Nibunnoichi, Sailor Moon, or Aa Megami-sama. If I ever hit   
it really big in the stock market, I'll buy 'em, though... hehe... *Starts   
drooling over the thought*.  
(Aa Megami-sama only has cameo roles, and only in flashbacks, at that, but   
still...)  
  
-------------------  
  
"I can't believe my brother's in love with Tendou Akane," Ranko thought as   
she soaked in the furo. "I mean... aww, hell. He's going to have a really hard   
time."  
After Ranma dropped that bombshell, Ranko didn't really remember most of   
their conversation. Her mind was abuzz with the information, and everything else   
passed in a blur. Before she knew it, it was dinnertime, and shortly after, she   
had gone to take a bath, hoping to come to grips with the implications.  
Given the entire situation at school, it was amazing that Akane hadn't   
become a raving lesbian. Even though she hadn't, Akane wasn't likely to be   
interested in dating, especially not someone her age, and Ranma couldn't tell   
her the truth, at least not at first. Ranko knew that   
Ranma probably knew a lot of her thoughts on the matter; he *HAD* been very   
close to her counterpart on his world, and Ranma had confirmed that Kunou's   
Hentai Brigade had existed there. In fact, his world's version had been even   
worse. Yes, if any of the guys at school had a chance, it was Ranma.  
That brought her to her next problem. Ranma had asked her to help him 'fit   
in', in an attempt to avoid suspicion. The problem was, the two versions of   
Ranma were too different. It wasn't just a matter of changing a mannerism or   
two; her version of Ranma had been completely different in more than a few   
important respects. She rather doubted that Ranma would pass muster with Tendou   
Nabiki, who had never taken a significant interest in him beyond what she did   
every student at Furinkan, much less the people who actually knew him. There was   
no way that she'd be able to coach him enough, even if she stayed up all night   
trying.  
  
-------------------  
  
Reflection,  
  
By  
  
Aleh,  
  
Chapter Two: The Crossing of the Paths  
  
-------------------  
  
Ironically enough, Ranma was thinking along the same lines. If he went to   
school the next day, he would be discovered, or at least would make people   
suspicious. There was no way that Ranko could teach him enough about his life   
overnight for him to get away with it, even if he pretended to be ill, or   
otherwise distracted. On the other hand, he needed to be at school in the   
morning if he was to put his plans for dealing with the Hentai Horde into play.   
That, of course, didn't mean that anyone had to notice his presence, but... that   
was when he came up with the perfect solution, even if it would mean taking   
another person into his confidence to a degree. With that thought,  
Ranma decided on his course of action.  
  
-------------------  
  
As Ranko left the furo and got dressed, she noticed a note lying on the   
floor.  
"Ranko," it read, "Stop by my room before you go to bed. I have a solution   
to our current problem."  
Ranko chuckled slightly. "Looks like he's thinking two steps ahead," she   
muttered, walking to his room.  
In response, the door opened to reveal Ranma's smirking face. "Come in,"   
he said, "Let's talk."  
Ranko's eyes widened slightly. "How'd you know..."  
"How did I know you were here?" Ranma replied with a chuckle, "I sensed   
your ki."  
"Oh," she commented, not used to people being able to do that.  
"Well, come on in," he said, motioning for her to enter as he took a step   
back. Ranko followed him.  
"So," she started, "What's the plan?"  
"It's simple, really," Ranma answered, sitting down on his bed, "There's   
no way you can coach me enough tonight for me to pass muster tomorrow."  
Ranko nodded in the affirmative and sat down next to him.  
"Well, there's only one solution. I don't go to school."  
Ranko shook her head. "The other you'd never skip, and if you were absent   
without a doctor's note, they'd call our parents."  
"So I get a doctor's note."  
Ranko shook her head again. "Oyaji'd never let you. I remember one time   
the other you had a fever of almost forty degrees. Oyaji made you go to school   
anyways."  
"What'd mom do?"  
"Nothing. She had to go somewhere that morning."  
"Oh, so she wasn't here. Well..."  
"And Oyaji's ki-senses are pretty sharp. He'd probably be able to tell if   
you faked it."  
Ranma smirked. "Perhaps," he said, "but it doesn't matter. I can fake   
illness easily enough. No, that's not the problem."  
"What is?" Ranko asked, curious.  
"Well, I may be able to fake being sick, but I can't hide the true depths   
of my reserves from him without revealing too much."  
"I don't understand," Ranko replied.  
"Well," Ranma said, "If he probes my aura, I'd have to either block his   
probe or hide my aura. If I hide it partially, his probe would show that I had   
enough skill to hide some of my ki even if he couldn't tell how much. If I hide   
it fully, he'd know that I could do just that, again, something I don't want. If   
I simply block his probe, he'd both know that I noticed it, and that I had   
countered it. As if that wasn't enough, regardless of which approach I take,   
he'd notice the changes in my ki that I caused when undoing those ki-  
manipulation techniques."   
"So..."  
Ranma chuckled. "Well, there's another person who I think we can trust   
with the truth. Two or three, actually, but I want to keep the number to a   
minimum. Besides, we'll probably need Tofu-sensei's help at some point. It would   
be for the best if we got it as soon as we can."  
Ranko cocked her head to the side. "Who?" she asked curiously.  
"Ono Tofu. He's a doctor over by school."  
"How do you know him?"  
Ranma smiled. "He's the Tendou family doctor. Back home, he was the one   
who patched me up whenever I got hurt."  
"How often did that happen?"  
"Before Akane's death or after?"  
"Before," Ranko replied, slightly confused.  
"Every day, just about," Ranma admitted.  
"And after?" Ranko asked, wondering why on earth he got injured so often.  
Ranma chuckled. "Not very often, especially after the Second Battle of   
Hououzan."  
"What? Why?"  
"Well, I fought this guy, Saffron... Anyway, it's a long story, but he's a   
phoenix. I wound up absorbing some of his power... After that, any wound I took   
would heal instantly. Between that and my ki... well, you get the point. Didn't   
keep it when I came over, though."  
After a few more speechless moments, Ranko regained the use of her mental   
facilities, and decided to change the topic to something a bit... safer. "So...   
what happened to your world's Tofu-sensei?" she asked.  
"Well," Ranma said with a wistful expression, "He eventually married   
Kasumi-oneechan. The two of them lived a long and happy life together. Why?"  
"Just curious," Ranko answered, before pausing. "Wait. Kasumi-oneechan?"  
Ranma chuckled. "She wasn't really my sister. It's just that..." Ranma's   
face became clouded briefly with old pain. "Well... after Akane's death, she was   
one of the people who was there for me, even though she was in as much pain as I   
was."  
"Why?"  
"Huh?" Ranma responded, not understanding the question.  
"Why was she there for you? Why was she in as much pain as you were?"  
Ranma's face darkened some more. "Because she was... is... Akane's older   
sister," he replied, "I came to view her as one myself during the time I knew   
her, and I know that she felt the same way. That's why she cared enough to put   
aside her grief to help me through those times."  
"Oh," Ranko half-whispered, somewhat pale at imagining what Ranma had been   
through. "I..."  
Ranma smiled wistfully. "Don't bother yourself, Ranko. It's all in the   
past. The point, though, is that we went through our own personal Hell together,   
and wound up closer as a result. She was the older sister I never had, and,   
until she died, my closest confidant."  
"What about Akane? Mom?"  
Ranma frowned. "Akane... We were close, very close. But... she died   
before..."  
Ranko's face paled. "I'm sorry. I forgot," she said, putting an arm around   
Ranma's shoulder.  
"And Mom... she was killed, almost two months later. After that..."  
"I see," Ranko whispered, squeezing slightly, comforting the man that she   
had begun to think of as a brother.  
"Nabiki," Ranma continued, "Nabiki... well, we were friends. Yes, I   
thought of her as a sister, too, but we weren't nearly as close. After... after   
I left, I kept in touch with Kasumi, but I didn't talk to Nabiki nearly as   
often. Still... when she died..."  
"Oh," Ranko managed to say, finally beginning to understand the sheer   
magnitude of what Ranma had been through.  
"Look," Ranma said, "I'm sorry to burden you with my pain. It's not   
usually this bad... it's just..."  
"Shhh," Ranko whispered into Ranma's ear as she pulled him into a hug, "I   
understand."  
  
-------------------  
  
A few minutes later, Ranma managed to get himself together. "Sorry about   
that," he said, pulling himself out of his sister's comforting embrace. "We'd   
better get back to business."  
"Yes," Ranko admitted reluctantly, pausing for a moment. "So... what's the   
plan?"  
Ranma smirked, his pain hidden behind the wall of cheerfulness that he   
projected. "Well, Tofu-sensei isn't exactly a normal doctor. He has a lot of   
experience with shiatsu, moxibustion, and so on. Actually, he's a pretty good   
martial artist, too. In fact, he's able to read auras almost as effectively as I   
can. So... he'll be able to confirm that I'm telling the truth."  
"How?" Ranko asked curiously.  
"People show a distinctive pattern in their ki when they lie, and another   
when they tell the truth. The difference isn't easy to spot, at least not for   
most people, but it's even harder to fake. I can hide my aura, even from him,   
but I can't fake either pattern without total concentration. As long as he can   
see my aura, he'll be able to see if I lie."  
"Oh."  
"So..." Ranma continued, "The plan is for me to skip school and visit him.   
I'll hide in the yard before school, but after that, I'll stop by his office.   
I'll tell him what's going on, and if I know him at all, he'll be glad to help.   
That will take care of the doctor's note, and our parents won't be any wiser."  
Ranko thought for a second. "Why go by school at all?" she asked, "I mean,   
why risk it?"  
Ranma shook his head. "No. Akane... I can't... I won't... I won't let   
that... that... bastard Kunou..."  
"Oh," she said, "You want to stop the morning fights, don't you?"  
Ranma nodded. "Yes. I may not be able to risk doing it directly, at least   
not yet, but I will do what I can. I," he said, his voice taking on a tone of   
determination, "won't let Akane suffer one minute longer then I have to."  
"You really do love her, don't you?" Ranko asked, staring into Ranma's   
eyes.  
Ranma's grim expression broke into a smile. "Yes... well... I know that   
she isn't the Akane  
I knew, even if they share a soul. It's just that..."  
Ranko smiled at her brother. "I understand," she said, "She might not be   
your Akane, but she's still Akane. Right?"  
Ranma broke out into a chuckle, muttering something that Ranko couldn't   
make out.  
"What?" Ranko asked, "What was that?"  
"Oh," Ranma said, still chuckling, "I just said that I finally understand   
why I got so much free food."  
Ranko blinked. "Huh?" she asked, confused.  
  
-------------------  
  
After Ranma finished telling the story of his fateful trip to Jusenkyo,   
Ranko was left half in disbelief.  
"So, I..."  
"You look exactly like my old cursed form," Ranma replied, chuckling some   
more, "Minus the pigtail, of course."  
"Huh?"  
"Of course, I got cured eventually. Turns out that Jusenkyo was created as   
an educational system, for lack of a better term."  
"What?"  
"You see, people who go there are, for lack of a better term, pulled   
towards a pool that reflects one of their flaws. In my case, Oyaji raised me to   
think that girls were weak."  
"Hey!" Ranko exclaimed, outraged.  
"I don't think that way anymore."  
"Oh," Ranko replied, placated.  
"On top of that, he taught me a whole bunch of stuff about 'manly   
behavior', things that, frankly, a load of crap. It took me *FOREVER* to get   
over those. Anyway, because of that, I was pulled towards the Nyanniichuan, the   
Spring of Drowned Girl. The curse was there to teach me a lesson, namely that I   
needed to reevaluate my opinion of women, as well as of what it was to be a   
man."  
"Damn straight!"  
Ranma chuckled. "Anyway, once I did, the 'curse' cured itself. Honestly,   
it was one of the best things to ever happen to me... in retrospect. That   
doesn't mean that I want another one, though."  
Ranko joined him in his mirth. "Yeah, I can see that," she agreed, "It's   
not exactly something you'd seek out, is it?"  
"No, it's not," Ranma admitted, "But it's the type of thing that's good   
for you, even if you don't like it."  
Ranko nodded her understanding.  
"Anyway, the curses are all basically poetic justice. Someone who needed   
to learn to look beyond the surface of things turned into a monster. Someone who   
needed to be less stubborn turned into a pig. Someone who needed to learn to   
think for themselves turned into a cat." Ranma's face clouded in anger. "She   
never learned that one. Anyway, you get the idea."  
"Yeah," Ranko answered, "But what did Oyaji turn into?"  
Ranma laughed out loud. "A panda, actually."  
"Oh?"  
"Yeah. His cure would've been to stop hiding from responsibility and being   
so lazy. He never did, though."  
"How do you know all this, anyway?" Ranko asked, "I mean, if he never   
learned it..."  
"How'd I know what the lesson was?"  
"Yeah," Ranko replied.  
"I was hunting a demon over in Nekomi around twenty years after my curse   
faded, about twenty-five after... I left..." Ranma's face clouded again.   
"Anyway, it's a long story, really, but I wound up running into a trio of   
goddesses."  
"Oh?" Ranko asked, quite surprised.  
Ranma just nodded his head. "Well, we talked for a bit, and I wound up   
mentioning Jusenkyo. One thing lead to another, and, well, Urd, the oldest,   
offered to look up what our 'lessons' had been. She's the Goddess of the Past,   
so it wasn't hard for her at all. Heh," he said with a smirk, "I probably   
learned more from them than anyone else I'd ever met about the way the universe,   
or should I say multiverse, actually works. After all, their job's to keep it   
from breaking down."  
Ranko raised her eyebrows. "Gods in general, or those three?"  
"Those three. Well, two of them, anyway. One of them had a rather...   
different job."  
"What?" Ranko was quite curious about that comment.  
"That, sis, is quite a long story. I'll tell you another time, OK?"  
Ranko nodded. "Sure. I'll hold you to that."  
"No problem. Anyway, coach me tomorrow, after school?"  
"Sure. No prob. 'Night, 'niichan."  
"'Niichan?" Ranma asked with a raised eyebrow, "I thought we were twins."  
Ranko laughed merrily. "Yeah, but you're three hundred years older, aren't   
you?"  
"True," Ranma admitted, "Good night, imouto-chan."  
  
-------------------  
  
The next morning, Ranko decided to wake Ranma up. Given that he probably   
hadn't been to school in several hundred years, it *DID* make sense. When she   
knocked on his door, however, she was startled to hear his voice call out "Come   
in, Ranko."  
After that, she wasn't startled in the slightest to see him sitting cross-  
legged on his bed, apparently in some kind of trance. "I... err... came to wake   
you up," she admitted sheepishly.  
Ranma chuckled softly. "I haven't slept in almost a hundred years, imouto-  
chan," he said, unfolding his legs and standing up.  
Ranko stared in shock. "What?" she asked, hoping that she misheard.  
"Around a hundred and fifty years or so ago, I ran into this order of   
monks in Tibet. Anyway, they didn't eat, drink, or sleep at all. It took me   
quite a while to figure out how they did it, since they weren't exactly eager to   
share their secrets with someone who didn't want to join their order, but once I   
did, it was really impressive."  
"So..."  
"Well, I'm not as good at it as they were. Basically, it's just using ki   
to sustain your body, but they took it to whole new levels of proficiency. What   
I was just doing was meditating, drawing ambient ki into myself, and using it to   
eliminate the need for sleep. Around an hour of that's just about effective as a   
full night's rest. I haven't managed to get to the point where I can do without   
food or water for more than a month or so, though, and it's very tiring after   
around a week."  
Ranko's eyes widened slightly. "Wow," she said, "Can you teach me?"  
Ranma chuckled again. "One thing at a time, Ranko. I was planning on   
teaching you, but not until I take care of a few other things. I need to get   
into much better shape before I can even start."  
"Oh," Ranko asked, slightly disappointed, "When were you planning on doing   
that?"  
"Remember?" Ranma replied, "It only takes about an hour of meditation a   
night to avoid sleep. I spent the rest of the time working on that problem."  
"But... I didn't hear anything!" Ranko exclaimed, "How could you do any   
exercise without waking everyone up?"  
"Those same monks had techniques for going without exercise, too. I just   
adapted one of those. It's not as quick or as effective as a good workout, but   
it's a start. Between that and the training trips I'm going to take as soon as I   
can, I should be back in shape in a few months."  
"Oh," Ranko said grinning in anticipation, "So when are you going to start   
teaching me?"  
Ranma smirked. "Oh, after I take care of some business with the Old Freak.   
I'm not licensed to teach our school in this world, after all."  
"Who?" Ranko said, her voice betraying her feelings of disappointment.  
"Happousai, the Grandmaster and Founder of the Musabetsu Kakutou Ryu."  
Ranko's jaw dropped in shock. "Ranma!" she exclaimed, "Why on earth would   
you talk about your sensei like that?!"  
Ranma almost burst out laughing. "You'll understand when you meet him,   
Ranko," he answered mirthfully. "Anyway, I'll have to make sure that he   
understands that you and the Tendous are off limits."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"You'll see."  
"I hate it when you say that."  
Ranma just smirked.  
  
-------------------  
  
After that, Ranma and Ranko went downstairs to get breakfast before   
Ranko's morning practice. As they ate, Ranko wondered why she was feeling the   
way she was. After all, she hadn't even known Ranma, well, *THIS* Ranma, for a   
full day. Why did she already think of him like she did? Was he influencing her   
mind somehow?  
Ranma ate, oblivious to Ranko's thoughts, although a little surprised at   
the ease with which he had gotten Ranko to accept him. He was just as surprised   
at how easily he had come to accept Ranko as his sister, even though he had only   
known her for a day. As chewed on a bit of rice, he noticed his idiot father   
making a grab for Ranko's food and casually ki-charged a grain of his rice,   
making sure to keep his aura cloaked, and used his chopsticks to bat it at his   
father's.  
Genma, meanwhile, was confused. Every time he tried to steal from Ranko's   
plate, he'd feel a minute, almost unnoticeable, surge of ki, followed by his   
chopsticks breaking. What was worse, his worthless daughter wasn't even paying   
attention! It was bad enough having to train a weak little girl, but this took   
the (metaphorical) cake! It really should be noticed that Genma thought almost   
completely in terms of food, a fact that explains quite a bit about his   
behavior.  
Nodoka, on the other hand, was pleased. Her son and daughter looked like   
they might finally be getting along, her husband wasn't eating like a starving   
animal (even if he *WAS* only because he was too busy trying to replace his   
broken chopsticks to eat as quickly as he'd like), and Ranma looked better than   
he had in months (in terms of health, that is)!  
At that observation, Ranma and Ranko casually placed their chopsticks in   
their bowls, looked up, and, in perfect unison, said, "Thanks, mom!"  
Nodoka blinked. Twice.  
  
-------------------  
  
As Ranko and Genma began their morning routine of pounding the crap out of   
each other, Ranma kept a metaphorical eye on them with his ki-senses.  
"Hmm," he thought, "Budou-no-kami was right. Ranko's around the level I   
remember Akane being at. Far more skilled, and better at controlling her anger,   
but also a lot weaker... and..." Ranma winced as Ranko landed a particularly   
nasty blow and continued, "Much more vicious, too. That had to hurt."  
"Anyway," he mused, "She's slower, too, although not by much. She has   
definite potential. Something about her aura's bothering me, though. I'll have   
to look into that."  
  
-------------------  
  
Ranma quickly gathered what he'd need for the day, placing it in what   
Ranko had pointed out as his school bag, and headed down, pointedly ignoring the   
highly bruised Genma.  
"Ready to go, Ranko?" he asked, looking at his sister.  
"What an ungrateful girl," Genma moaned, looking at Ranko, "To do this to   
your poor father..."  
Ranko just raised her head. "That's what you get for not taking me   
seriously as a student, Oyaji," she stated contemptuously.  
"Whatever do you mean?" Genma asked, in a ridiculously (and not very   
convincingly) innocent voice.  
"Two words, Old Fart. Mountain and Sea." Ranko was virtually boiling;   
after Ranma had mentioned the Saotome Forbidden Techniques, she had gone through   
Genma's collection of scrolls, eventually finding them. After seeing what they   
were capable of (although she wasn't capable of learning them; Ranma was right   
in that she didn't know more than the very basics of using her aura), her rage   
towards her father had taken new heights.  
Ranma pointedly ignored the argument, showing an uncommon degree of sense,   
as Genma went into a credible impression of Happousai's 'Innocent Old Man' act.   
Like the original, it didn't work very well.  
"Come on, Ranma," his sister said, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him   
out the door, "Let's go."  
  
-------------------  
  
On the way to school, Ranma and Ranko discussed the other Ranma. More   
specifically, they discussed his status in school: how well he could speak   
English, his status in math, and so on. Ultimately, Ranma decided that he could   
fake that with only a minimum of study; he had to learn most of the stuff that   
he hadn't learned when he was in high school during that Martial Arts Ballistics   
competition shortly after he had opened his first dojo. Ranko was just goggling   
over the idea of somebody actually talking about Martial Arts Ballistics with a   
straight face. Then she was boggling at the idea of some of the other schools   
that existed after Ranma mentioned *WHY* he didn't find it all that strange. The   
story about a martial art based on tea ceremony was particularly odd, in her   
opinion.  
Around a block from the school, Ranma gestured for Ranko to go the rest of   
the way alone before suddenly vanishing as he invoked the Goshin Dai Ryu Sei Fu.  
  
-------------------  
  
"I HATE BOYS!" shouted an angry Tendou Akane as she smashed through her   
morning gauntlet, pausing afterwards to wipe her forehead. When Kunou didn't   
show up, she breathed a sigh of relief, heading inside. "I might actually be   
early for once," she said, not noticing where Kunou still stood in his usual   
place, unable to move thanks to the ofuda attached to his forehead.  
Her sister, however, was a different story. When she found Kunou, not a   
minute later, she was shocked at the sight. Casually palming the ward, she was   
startled to see him instantly spring to life, ranting about how some foul   
villain had prevented him from issuing his noble challenge, or some equally   
pointless matter; Nabiki didn't pay attention. She did, however, make a mental   
note to have Hino-sensei take a look at the slip of paper that she had removed   
from the head of the idiotic would-be samurai.  
  
-------------------  
  
A.N.:  
Yes! Done, and hopefully just in time for Tannim's update! I haven't had   
time to proofread this as thoroughly as I'd like, but it *IS* done; while I may   
have to make some minor corrections, that should be it. Okay... to address the   
obvious point of Ranko's feelings for Ranma. Yes, she cares for him. The problem   
right now, however, is that she doesn't know *WHY* she does. There's a good   
reason for it, which will be revealed in good time, but, of the characters I've   
introduced so far, only Budou-no-kami knows it.  
Speaking of Budou-no-kami, I've gotten a few concerns about him showing up   
again. He is *NOT* going to be a regular feature, so don't worry about it.  
Now... regarding Ranma's emotional outburst. The pain is old, and Ranma's   
gotten over it, for the most part. On the other hand, it never goes away   
completely. Trust me, I know. Ranma's had to do far more dwelling on the past,   
what he lost, than he's done in years. Add to that another factor, one which I   
know, but you don't, as well as the fact that they're finally beginning to truly   
heal (and have been rubbed open as a result)... well, Ranma's in a position   
similar to what Akane was with Tofu-sensei towards the end of Volume One of the   
manga (US Volume One, that is). He's also long since rejected his father's view   
of manliness, something that certainly helped. :-). Translated: he's more in   
touch with his emotions than in cannon, as well as reminiscing about the fact   
that everyone he ever knew and loved is dead. Despite the chance to start over,   
and thereby heal those scars, the memory still hurts. A lot. Then there's the   
reason why he and Ranko are so comfortable around each other...  
Basically, there's a lot going on that you don't know about yet, so don't   
worry if people seem to be acting a little oddly. Things will become clear in   
time.  
Oh, and if Ranma seems to be too knowledgeable... he's already made two   
rather significant mistakes. :-). 


	5. Chapter Three: A Twist In the Path

Disclaimer:  
BWAHAHAHA!!! I 0wN Th3z3 M8Ng8 8nD 8N1m3! 80w b34 mY l33T HaX0r sK1lLz!  
Yeah, right. If you actually believed that, you need help. A lot of it.  
  
-------------------  
  
Ranma walked silently by the horde of boys waiting for Akane, still   
wrapped in the Goshin Dai Ryu Sei Fu. Casually noting their faces, he approached   
Kunou, ofuda in hand.  
"Heh," he thought, "Oyaji may be a worthless excuse for a parent, but some   
of his techniques do come in handy."  
Noting Akane's approaching aura, he quickly made his way to his target's   
position, circled the tree he was hiding behind, charged his ward, and slapped   
it onto Kunou's forehead.  
With that, Kunou suddenly stopped all movement, paralyzed by the ward's   
power. With his mission accomplished, Ranma left the yard, sparing one last look   
at Akane as she headed into her daily ordeal.  
"Not one minute more than I have to," he promised himself, "I won't let   
her suffer through this one minute more than is absolutely necessary."  
  
-------------------  
  
Reflection,  
  
By  
  
Aleh,  
  
Chapter Three: A Twist In the Path  
  
-------------------  
  
After leaving school, Ranma walked over to Tofu-sensei's office. Pausing   
to check the building with his ki-senses, but making no effort to hide his aura,   
Ranma opened the door and entered. As he expected, Tofu-sensei had stopped what   
he was doing in order to investigate what he had sensed, and quickly turned to   
Ranma, eyes widened in shock at seeing his apparent age.  
"Hello, Tofu-sensei," Ranma said, "Would you mind discussing something   
with me? After you see to your patients, that is. It would hardly be fair to   
them if you just dropped everything to have a conversation with some stranger."   
Ranma's eyes sparkled with humor as he made his little speech, and his aura   
reflected the fact that he meant every word.  
Tofu-sensei nodded his head in response. "It would be an honor," he   
replied, much to the shock of the few people watching the exchange.  
Ranma just bowed respectfully and took a seat, slipping into a ki-  
restoring meditation as Tofu somewhat distractedly turned back towards his   
patients.  
  
-------------------  
  
It was nearly an hour before Tofu-sensei managed to finish with the last   
of the waiting patients. "So," he said, approaching Ranma, "What did you want to   
talk about?"  
Ranma opened his eyes and looked Tofu-sensei straight in the eyes. "That   
old lady, Tanaka-san, I think you called her, has the beginnings of a case of   
cervical cancer. You might want to have that looked at."  
Tofu-sensei's eyes widened. He had noticed Ranma pulling in ambient energy   
and using it to replenish his aura, and the skill needed to do that without   
losing oneself in the process was considerable. Ranma had, indirectly, just told   
Tofu-sensei that he was among the few who could. As there probably weren't more   
than three such people alive, Tofu-sensei quickly deduced that his earlier   
estimates of this young man's skill had been off. He was, at least, quite a bit   
better than Tofu-sensei dreamed possible for someone who had celebrated their   
fiftieth birthday, and Tofu-sensei wasn't naïve enough to assume that he had   
seen the true depths of Ranma's ability.  
Ranma, meanwhile, watched as various emotions played across Tofu-sensei's   
face and as his aura lit up with excitement.  
"I believe," Ranma added, "That your legends refer to me as a   
'thaelindhalivillar'."  
Tofu-sensei's aura became even more excited as he finally realized exactly   
what he was talking to. "Amazing!" he exclaimed, before forcing himself to calm   
down, "So... what brings one such as yourself to my humble clinic?"  
Ranma smiled. "Well," he said, "I wanted your help with something."  
Tofu cocked his head slightly, curiosity now battling excitement in his   
aura. "What?" he asked.  
"Well..."  
  
-------------------  
  
Ranma walked out of Tofu-sensei's office with a slight spring in his step   
and his mission accomplished. He could count on Tofu-sensei's support when he   
missed school, thereby avoiding a potentially nasty confrontation with his   
parents, and had even been offered a job as Tofu-sensei's assistant (Ranma   
decided to try to get Furinkan to let him accept, given his inevitable need for   
money, as well as the opportunity to encounter Akane outside of school). Now,   
Ranma just had to take care of the remaining items on his mental list for the   
day...  
  
-------------------  
  
After school, Nabiki decided to skip her usual afternoon activities and   
walk home with her younger sister.  
"Akane," she began, walking up to her sister as she was crossing the gate,   
"Mind if I join you?"  
"Of course not," Akane replied, "So what's up?"  
"Well... about this morning..."  
Akane smiled. "Kunou giving up? He didn't bother me at lunch, either."  
Nabiki frowned. "That's odd. He left class... Oh, no!"  
"What?" Akane asked, worried.  
"This morning, I found him behind the tree... you know, the one he usually   
challenges you from?" Nabiki waited for Akane's nod before continuing. "Anyway,   
there was a ward of some kind stuck to his forehead, paralyzing him somehow."  
Akane's eyes widened. "So..."  
"Somebody had to put it there. I suspect that whoever did stopped him at   
lunch, too."  
"Any idea about the ward?"  
Nabiki shook her head. "Not a clue," she said, taking it out and showing   
it to Akane, "It looks like pretty ordinary paper, actually. I'm planning on   
asking Hino-sensei about it this afternoon, so I'll hopefully have a lead then."   
Nabiki paused for a moment. "Think we should go and help Kunou?"  
The two sisters then turned towards each other. "Nah," they chorused.  
Out behind Furinkan High, a certain delusional kendoist would have sneezed   
if the ofuda on his forehead hadn't prevented it.  
  
-------------------  
  
"Good," Ranma thought from his hiding place, "No one found the moron. With   
any luck, I won't have to use another ward tomorrow."  
With that, Ranma turned and left, leaving the school moron to his own   
devices.  
  
-------------------  
  
A few minutes later, Ranko was walking towards home when Ranma dropped the   
Goshin Dai Ryu Sei Fu, literally fading into sight in front of her.  
"Gya!" she yelled, pulling away, "Don't DO that!"  
"Sorry," Ranma said sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck, "Didn't   
mean to startle you."  
"Aww," she replied, "It's okay."  
"Okay," Ranma answered, "Did you have any plans for today?"  
"Hmm," Ranko said, seeing an opportunity to check for one possibility,   
"Well, I was going to go over to Juuban. I'd heard of a shrine-"  
"Oh," Ranma interrupted, "you wanted to have me checked for possession,   
right?"  
Ranko's eyes widened. "Yeah," she admitted after an awkward pause.  
"Sure," Ranma replied, "I don't mind."  
"..."  
"I mean," he continued, "I'd do the same thing."  
"You don't hold it against me?" she asked hopefully.  
"Nah," Ranma answered, "Of course not. I should've suggested it myself.   
Can't have a possessed brother, can you?"  
Ranko laughed in a combination of humor and relief. "No, that would be a   
bad thing, even if it is an improvement."  
Ranma joined in her laughter. "True. There aren't many good possessing   
entities, after all."  
  
-------------------  
  
The train ride to Juuban was uneventful, although Ranma was rather curious   
when he noticed Nabiki's ki-signature. Stepping out into the street, Ranko   
briefly stretched her arms over her head.  
"Well, shall we go, imouto-chan?" Ranma asked, lightly slapping her back.  
"Sure, 'niichan," she replied, "You know where the Hikawa Jinja is?"  
Ranma nodded. "Yeah. We'll have to take a bus, though. I doubt you're up   
to roof-hopping."  
Ranko frowned at the reminder of what their father had done. "I can't   
believe Oyaji'd do that," she responded.  
"Feh," Ranma nearly spat out, "That's Oyaji for ya. Anyway, let's go."  
"Wha?" Ranko asked, stopping when she saw the approaching bus. "Oh."  
  
-------------------  
  
Again, Ranma was rather startled to notice Nabiki's presence in the bus.  
"Wonder what Nabiki's doing," he thought before realization struck. "Hino   
Rei! Of course! She must be Hino-sensei's granddaughter. Well, well, well.   
Interesting..."  
Ranko was rather startled to see her brother start to chuckle at   
something.  
"What is it, Ranma?" she asked curiously.  
"I'll tell you later," he replied, "I just figured something out."  
"Oh."  
  
-------------------  
  
Hino Rei tended the Sacred Fire. The phone call that she had received from   
Akane-chan was a cause for concern, but not nearly as much of one as her recent   
vision. She only hoped that Nabiki could help shed some light on it. After all,   
several things involved her family...  
Rei was shaken out of her ruminations by the arrival of a small group of   
people. One, Nabiki, she instantly recognized. Another, a black-haired boy   
accompanied by a girl who was obviously his sister, bore a resemblance to the   
man in her vision. It wasn't much of one, but she was put slightly on edge by   
it. Perhaps they were related?  
Rei walked over to Nabiki, wearing a tired smile. "Hi, Nabiki-chan," she   
said when she arrived, "Akane-chan told me about what happened at school."  
"Yeah," Nabiki replied, "I was hoping that you could take a look at   
this..."  
As Nabiki reached into her purse to withdraw the ward, Rei spoke up.   
"Later, Nabiki. We need to talk. Let me take care of these visitors, OK?"  
"Okay," answered Nabiki, "Another vision I assume?"  
Rei nodded and excused herself, approaching Ranma and Ranko.  
"Hello, and welcome to the Hikawa Jinja. Can I help you?" she inquired,   
extending her spiritual senses.  
Ranko smiled. "Well, my brother and I were hoping to buy some wards   
against possession..."  
Rei's eyes widened slightly as she extended her ki-senses further, but   
failed to find anything strange about the two, other than...  
"Mind telling me why your ki-signatures are almost identical?" she asked,   
having never seen something like it before, even in identical twins.  
"What?" Ranko asked, not understanding.  
Ranma just slapped his palm to his face. "Of course," he muttered, "That's   
what was bothering me this morning. Her battle aura's just like mine."  
Neither Rei nor Ranko, however, managed to make out his words. "Hold on,"   
Rei added, "I'll go get my grandfather. If anyone can figure it out, it's him."  
Ranko nodded as Ranma shrugged his shoulders. "Go ahead," they said in   
unison.  
  
-------------------  
  
After Rei came back, her grandfather in tow, Ranma spoke up. "Hello, Hino-  
sensei," he said, bowing, "It's been a long time."  
Rei and Ranko quickly looked between Ranma and Hino-sensei. "You know each   
other, Niichan?" Ranko asked as Rei quickly extended the same question to her   
grandfather.  
Ranma chuckled as Hino-sensei gained a thoughtful look. "You taught me   
some meditation techniques when I was ten," he clarified.  
"Oh," Hino-sensei replied. "I don't really remember, but I guess it's   
possible."  
Ranma just nodded. "I'm not really surprised about that, but they've been   
very helpful since then."  
Hino-sensei smiled. "Well, I'm glad you got some use of them, m'boy."  
"Grandfather," Rei replied, "Could you take a look at their auras for me?"  
Ranko decided to join in. "Yes, Rei saw something rather odd, and we were   
hoping that you could tell us more."  
"Hmm," he said, probing them with his ki before his eyes widened. "Well,   
this is interesting, isn't it?" he said.  
"So, you know why our auras are so close?" Ranko asked.  
Hino-sensei shook his head. "Not even identical twins have auras that   
resemble each other so closely. Sure, there are differences. He," Hino-sensei   
pointed to Ranma, "is obviously male, whereas you," Hino-sensei paused,   
switching to Ranko, "are obviously female. There are several other differences   
as well, but most of them are from experience. What happens to you affects your   
aura, after all, but the underlying patterns are almost exactly the same. It's   
almost like you're the same person. I don't think that it's important, though.   
It may be odd, but I doubt it's anything bad."  
"Well, it's interesting, but not really important right now," Ranma   
responded, "Perhaps we should get to the original reason we came here. Right,   
imouto-chan?"  
"Yeah..." Ranko replied, startled out of her thoughts, "We should."  
At Hino-sensei's curious gaze, Ranma decided to take over. "We came to buy   
some wards," he said.  
"Aaahhh," Hino-sensei answered, "What kind?"  
"Anti-demon."  
"What would you need them for?" Hino-sensei asked curiously.  
"To check for possession, actually. If we use the kind that drives out   
possessing spirits..."  
"Well," Hino-sensei said. "Well," he continued, taking out several, "These   
should drive out any oni or such. Here." With that, he handed them to Ranma.  
"Thanks," he replied, bowing, "How much?"  
Hino-sensei just smiled. "How about 500 yen each?"  
"Sure," Ranma said, taking out a few bills, and handing them to the old   
man, "Here."  
"Least I can do for a cute girl like your sister," Hino-sensei said with a   
lecherous grin, pocketing the money.  
Ranma just slapped his forehead, mumbling about 'perverted old men', and   
Rei gave her grandfather one of her best glares. Ranko, on the other hand,   
grinned slightly.  
"Good to think *SOMEBODY* thinks that," she said, as Ranma and Rei gave   
her an odd look.  
"What?" she asked, "I go to Furinkan High. Do you have *ANY* idea how hard   
it is for a girl to get a date there?"  
Rei's eyes widened as she realized what Ranko was talking about, Ranma   
groaned slightly, and Hino-sensei got a confused expression on his face.  
"What? I'd think that you'd have to beat the boys off with a stick!" Hino-  
sensei exclaimed.  
"Nah," Ranko said dismissively, "That's Akane, and she uses her bare   
hands."  
Again, Hino-sensei acquired a confused look.  
"There's this jerk at school, Kunou Tatewaki. He proclaimed that anyone   
who wanted to ask Akane on a date had to beat her in a fight first. Since she's   
the most popular girl in school, at least among the guys, a group of idiots has   
been attacking her every morning," Ranma explained, tapping into the Soul of Ice   
to keep his personal involvement from showing in his voice.  
"And since no one will even consider going out with any of them, there are   
considerably more available girls than guys," Ranko added, "Besides, I'm heir to   
the Musabetsu Kakutou Saotome Ryuu, and most guys don't like having a girlfriend   
who can literally tear them apart if they try anything."  
Rei's eyes widened slightly at the name of Ranko's school, but she didn't   
say anything.  
"Oh," Hino-sensei replied. "Rei-chan, isn't Furinkan High over in Nerima?"  
"Yes, Grandfather. It's the school Nabiki goes to."  
"Ahh, yes. Wait a moment. Doesn't Nabiki have a sister named Akane?"  
Ranma nodded. "I assume you mean Tendou Nabiki," he said, pretending to   
not already know. Waiting for Hino-sensei's nod, he answered the implied   
question. "Yes, Tendou Akane is the girl who has to fight off those boys, Hino-  
sensei."  
"Poor girl," Hino-sensei said, shaking his head sadly.  
"I'd help her," Ranko added, "But I'm afraid that if I do, Kunou'll start   
on me, too."  
"He'd really do that?" Hino-sensei said, wide-eyed.  
Ranma just chuckled as Ranko nodded. "Yeah," she replied, "He would. He   
thinks he's a samurai in the Tokugawa era or something. Polygamy was common   
then."  
"Actually, he's worse than that," Ranma added, "His entire family's   
totally insane, going back at least five generations. I suspect that it goes   
back further, but I haven't been able to prove it. He suffers from delusions of   
grandeur, several forms of schizophrenia, and disassociative personality   
disorder, among other things. Problem is, he's rich enough that no one'll send   
him to an asylum, much less a psychiatrist, like he needs."  
Hino-sensei shook his head. "What's the world coming to, these days?"  
Ranma shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," he answered, "Nerima seems   
to attract all the worst of the loons, though."  
"That it does, doesn't it?" Hino-sensei asked before turning to Rei. "Rei-  
chan, did you know about all this?" he asked sternly.  
"Yes, Grandfather," she admitted, "but there wasn't anything that I could   
do. Nabiki and I tried reporting it to the police once, but Kunou's family is so   
well connected, not to mention rich, that nothing ever came of it. He just paid   
off a few people and it all got swept under the rug."  
Hino-sensei just shook his head some more. "Poor Akane-chan," he said   
sadly.  
"Well," Ranma said, "I think we've taken enough of your time. I'll try to   
visit more often from now on, Hino-sensei. It's been a pleasure talking to you   
again."  
"Yes, well, take care... wait, you never told me your name."  
"I'm Saotome Ranma," Ranma answered, "And this is my sister, Ranko."  
"It's been a pleasure meeting you, Hino-sensei," Ranko added politely.  
"Take care, Ranma, Ranko."  
"See you later, Rei-san, Hino-sensei. Thanks for the wards," Ranma and   
Ranko chorused.  
After the two left, Rei blinked. "That was odd," she remarked.  
  
-------------------  
  
As they walked down the stairs leaving the shrine, Ranma spoke up.  
"Still think I'm possessed?" he asked curiously.  
"Nah," Ranko replied, "I'm just curious about that thing about our auras."  
"You mean why they're alike?"  
Ranko nodded her head in the affirmative.  
Ranma shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure myself. Like Hino-sensei said,   
it's not a big deal, though. We'll worry about it later."  
"Okay, 'niichan," Ranko answered.  
"Anyway, I need to check something. Head on without me, OK? I'll meet you   
at the bus."  
"Alright, 'niichan."  
With that, Ranma checked to make sure nobody was looking and invoked the   
Goshin Dai Ryu Sei Fu.  
  
-------------------  
  
Meanwhile, back inside, Nabiki was showing Rei the ward.  
"I'm sorry," Rei said, shaking her head, "I don't recognize it at all."  
"How about your grandfather?" Nabiki asked.  
"It's worth a try," Rei admitted, "He does know a lot more about this sort   
of thing than I do."  
After getting her grandfather to come (not that it was hard to get him to   
go and see Nabiki), the two friends were shocked at the results. As soon as he   
saw the ward, Hino-sensei's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and he   
practically teleported to Nabiki's side, snatching it from her hand.  
"Where did you get this?!?" he exclaimed, bouncing around in excitement.  
Nabiki and Rei sweatdropped. "I found it at school, Gramps. What is it?"   
Nabiki asked.  
Hino-sensei calmed down immediately. "It's an ofuda," he intoned.  
Nabiki and Rei facefaulted. "WE KNOW THAT!!!" they screamed.  
"Then why are you asking me?" he replied.  
"What Nabiki means," Rei said, "is that she wants to know what *KIND* of   
ward it is."  
"Oh," Hino-sensei answered, "Why didn't you say that in the first place?"  
Nabiki and Rei sweatdropped again.  
"Well," Hino-sensei continued, "I haven't seen one of these in years. It's   
a ward, alright, and of the type used by devil-hunters. Whoever made this one,   
though, was a true master."  
"What makes you say that?" Rei asked.  
"Well," Hino-sensei replied, "devil-hunters use a different method for   
ward-making. Shinto wards call upon the power of the kami, channeling it through   
a combination of our ki and ritual."  
Rei and Nabiki nodded, having heard the theory before.  
"Devil-hunters, however, often need wards that can work even where the   
kami can't easily reach. It's not unheard of for one to hunt a demon to its   
lair, even if its lair happens to be in Hell. While a demon may be at its   
strongest there, it's often the only way to truly destroy it, as opposed to   
merely sealing or banishing it."  
Nabiki and Rei were now giving Hino-sensei their full attention.  
"Accordingly, they make wards that take the surrounding ki and turn it   
towards their goal. To do this, they use specific types of paper and ink. The   
patterns of ink on the paper alter its properties, allowing the surrounding   
energy to flow through the ward in the desired pattern."  
Hino-sensei stopped for a moment to make sure that the two girls were   
still following him before continuing. "Most devil-hunters, however, don't   
really understand what they're doing. They know that a certain pattern of a   
specific type of ink on a given type of paper produces some result. Some go   
further, and actually understand *HOW* the wards work. Those few can create true   
masterpieces or wards for a specific task. They can even improvise, creating new   
types of wards from scratch."  
"Wow, Gramps, so this was made by one of those?" Nabiki asked in   
amazement.  
"No," Hino-sensei answered, shaking his head. "A few go even further than   
that, learning to sense the properties of the ink and paper that they use. Their   
wards are much stronger than those made by lesser devil-hunters, as they tailor   
the patterns of ink to the natural patterns of the paper, which, incidentally,   
vary slightly from sheet to sheet. What's more, they don't always need the   
supplies of their less skilled companions. They can create a ward using ordinary   
ink on ordinary paper. One made in such a way isn't nearly as powerful as what   
they could do with the proper equipment, but that's not always available. They   
can even literally paint a ward on almost anything, even a wall, a sword, or any   
number of things. A number of the greatest weapons used by devil-hunters were   
made in just that way, the blacksmith literally turning the sword into a giant   
ward against evil, locking in patterns of energy every step of the way."  
By now, Nabiki and Rei's eyes were just as wide as Hino-sensei's were when   
he first saw the ward. "You mean that..."  
Hino-sensei shook his head again. "No. You see, there's a level even   
beyond that one."  
Nabiki and Rei's eyes bugged out.  
"A few of the greatest devil-hunters eventually learn to use their ki to   
actually alter the properties of the materials they work with, using it to open   
pathways for the surrounding energy to follow. At that level, the normal   
supplies become merely a convenience, allowing them to conserve their energy as   
they work. They use ink to push the flows into the general pattern that they   
desire, and then use their aura to refine and enhance it. Their wards can be   
thousands of times more powerful than anything made by someone less skilled, but   
that's only the beginning of what the legends say that they can do. Frankly, I   
thought that those legends were just stories... until today."  
Nabiki and Rei's jaws dropped. "You mean..." they chorused.  
Hino-sensei nodded. "This ward," he said, holding it up, "was made by   
someone at that level of skill. Whoever made it..." He led off at that, leaving   
the two girls to draw their own conclusions.  
"Just how rare are these devil-hunters, anyways?" Rei asked, having mostly   
gotten over her shock, "I mean with all the youma attacks we've been getting..."  
"Well," Hino-sensei started, "I'd say that there are probably around a   
hundred devil-hunters in the world. One or two would've probably shown up by now   
to deal with all of those monsters if it wasn't for the fact that they seem to   
be pretty under control. The Sailor Senshi've taken care of just about all of   
them lately, haven't they?"  
Rei nodded. "I see," she said.  
"Yes... but whoever made this ward... I'd say that around one out of ten   
devil-hunters manages to reach the second level of skill, that of understanding   
how their wards work. The third level... maybe, and I mean maybe, one out of a   
thousand makes it that far. It's probably more like one out of five thousand or   
something. As for the fourth level... the level of whoever made this, the   
legends say that only three others have ever had that kind of skill, and they go   
on to detail each and every one of their deaths. Whoever made this ward is their   
equal, if not their superior."  
By now, both Nabiki and Rei had managed to get their minds around the   
idea. "So," Nabiki asked, "What effect would this ward have on somebody?"  
Hino-sensei shook his head in disappointment. "Nabiki, I thought I'd   
taught you and Rei better than that. Almost all wards work by reacting to a   
demonic aura. This ward, specifically, is designed to seal demons. Unless you   
were possessed, or part-demon yourself, it would do absolutely nothing."  
Nabiki's eyes widened in panic. "Hino-sensei, I found it on the forehead   
of one of my classmates. He was paralyzed, completely unable to move."  
Hino-sensei began to panic somewhat as well. "Maybe that's why those two   
kids wanted something to drive out a possessing spirit!" Rei exclaimed, putting   
two and two together (albeit incorrectly).  
"Huh?" asked Nabiki.  
After Rei quickly mentioned what had happened earlier, Nabiki tried a   
theory. "Okay, how about this?" she asked. "They somehow found out that Kunou-"  
Hino-sensei quickly interrupted. "Kunou Tatewaki? The guy who's been   
bothering your sister?"  
Nabiki nodded. "How'd you find out about that?" she inquired, "I know that   
I haven't told you about it."  
After Hino-sensei and Rei told her, Nabiki smirked. "Perfect. Well,   
somehow, they found out that Kunou's possessed. They find that ward, probably a   
family heirloom or something, and use it on him, only to see that it doesn't   
exorcise whatever's in him. So, they come here and buy some ofuda that *WOULD*   
do the job."  
Hino-sensei shook his head. "No, whoever made that ward did it recently.   
I'd say that it's not more than a few days old, actually, not to mention that   
it's made on a piece of an unlined index card."  
Nabiki facefaulted. "Okay, throw that idea out the window. I guess I'll   
just have to chalk it up as another of those little mysteries in life for the   
time being. So, any idea what to do about Kunou?"  
"No," he answered, "Usually, that type of ward doesn't have that effect on   
people, even if they're possessed. Normally, it suppresses the demon, allowing   
the person to regain control of their body while they're in contact with it. If   
it paralyzed him, the demon's hold on him is far stronger than any mere ward, or   
at least any that I can make. Either he's been possessed for years, or the demon   
is extremely powerful, possibly even a Demon Lord."  
"And that's assuming that he's possessed, and not part demon himself,   
right?" Rei added, mentally noting that the Senshi would have to check him out   
as soon as they could.  
"Right," Hino-sensei agreed. "If he's a hanyou or something similar, it's   
beyond my experience. I honestly don't know what to say."  
"Well, hopefully, whoever made that ward will do something about it,"   
Nabiki said, her voice betraying her disappointment.  
"Well, I'd better leave you two ladies to yourselves," he excused, giving   
the two girls a playful wink, "I'll bet that you have a lot of talking to do."  
"Thanks, Grandfather," Rei replied, bowing politely.  
"I'll see you later, Rei-chan. Why don't you take the rest of the day   
off?"  
"Thanks, Grandfather!" she exclaimed, grabbing Nabiki by the wrist and   
heading towards her room.  
  
-------------------  
  
"So," Nabiki said once they were alone, "What was that about a vision?"As   
Rei told her about what she had seen, Nabiki grew more and more pale. After she   
mentioned the part about Akane, though, Nabiki almost went into a panic,   
especially when Rei got to the part about the boy crying over her bloody corpse.  
"What can we do?" she asked, "I mean, what if this is the guy who made   
that ofuda? I mean, you did see him hunting demons... and..." With that, Nabiki   
began to cry softly. "Why?" she manage to get out between tears, "Not again..."  
Rei quickly swept her friend into a comforting embrace. "Shh," she said,   
"Don't worry. We'll do everything we can. Everything will be just fine. You'll   
see..."  
After Nabiki had calmed down and regained control several minutes later,   
Rei noticed a letter addressed to her on the floor just outside her room.  
"Rei," it read, "Your vision showed my past, not your future. I swear by   
my honor that I won't let history repeat itself."  
It was signed, "Tenmou no Heijin".  
  
-------------------  
  
A.N.:  
Yeay! Another chapter done!  
Well, I need to thank Arun for his help in providing a term for what Ranma   
now is. After all, India is, by far, the most likely place for a legend about   
people who have tapped into their life force to gain immortality to come from.   
Chinese would have worked, too, but I'm quite happy with using Tamil.  
Okay, now for a translation of some of the foreign terms used. If you've   
read the previous chapters, you know what "Tenmou no Heijin" means. Roughly   
speaking, it means "Blade of Heaven's Vengeance". Of course, Japanese doesn't   
have an equivalent of the English "the" or "a", so it works perfectly well as a   
title or description.  
"-Sensei" is a suffix used for doctors, teachers, and other professionals.   
I'm not entirely sure why they use it for Rei's grandfather, but they do.  
"Ofuda" means roughly the same thing as "ward", at least in the context   
that I use it in. I switch between the two in order to avoid repetition.  
An oni is a type of demon or ogre (doesn't fit either description exactly)   
sometimes accused of possessing people.  
'Thaelindhalivillar' roughly means 'Enlightened Immortal' in Tamil.  
"Jinja" means "Shinto shrine".  
Now... you might have noticed Ranma and Ranko's... rapport, for lack of a   
better term. Yes, I know why they're like that, and I've been dropping hints,   
even if they *HAVE* been subtle, about the reason. Hopefully, some of you have   
figured it out by now, but I'm a bit curious to see just how many have. So...   
I'm starting a little contest. The rules are simple. To enter, send me an e-mail   
explaining your theory. I'm at CheezeA@Clemson.edu, or Aleh@aol.com. The Clemson   
e-mail address is preferred for most things, but the AOL one works as well. If   
you guess correctly, I'll let you in on a few of my long-term plans for the   
future of this series, including two matchups that I'm pretty certain haven't   
been done before (I *AM* planning others, but I haven't decided for sure). If   
your guess is reasonably close (in my opinion), I'll let you in on the reason in   
advance. :-). There's a limit of one entry per person, though, so you only get   
one guess.Feel free to discuss the subject, but anyone who I find discussing   
one of my private replies to an entry message in a public forum will be   
automatically disqualified (whether or not they were the one to whom the message   
was sent). Moreover, anyone found sharing the prize information will be   
disqualified from any future contests of this nature that I may hold. Anyone   
found cheating by using multiple e-mail accounts to send in several entries will   
also be disqualified. Other than that, feel free to do whatever. :-). The   
deadline for entries is the release of Chapter 4 to the FFML, so get going!  
As for my portrayal of Genma (I've been getting several protests), please   
remember that more is going on than just what you know about... and remember   
what I said about Shampoo in the Author's Notes for the prologues. Some things   
happened in this world's past that have significant importance both to his   
behavior and to Ranko's.  
Oh, also, I've been getting some questions as to Ranma's actual   
capabilities. In his own universe, he was a force to be reckoned with. In terms   
of power, he was in between Usagi's Eternal Sailor Moon form and her Moon   
Princess form with the Ginzuishou. Basically, he could have beaten just about   
any of the non-main villains (In other words, any except Metallia, Death   
Phantom, Pharaoh 90, or Chaos. Nehelenia and the Doom Tree are toss-ups, due   
more to their vulnerability to specific techniques that Ranma has than any   
weakness on their parts). At present, however, he has a number of weaknesses,   
restrictions, and other items that prevent him from doing this. I'd say that he   
can fight at about 15% of his full power for short periods, enough to fight any   
of the Witches 5 to a standstill, and perhaps enough to win, but not without   
considerable personal cost. Below is a summary. Please note that all comparisons   
are to him in his old body, not to the native Ranma.  
Physical Attributes: His present body is almost totally lacking in   
conditioning. While he can enhance his abilities, he cannot boost himself to the   
same speed or strength as before, due to the lesser base strength, speed, and   
such. In addition, doing so has a price. See 'ki', below. In addition, his body   
cannot take the strain imposed on it by many of Ranma's techniques. While he can   
get around this to some extent with ki, doing so is quite draining. Normally:   
Less than 1%. Boosted, around 10%.  
Ki: Ranma has his full ki-reserves, but his body does not produce nearly   
as much as his old one did. While he has techniques that allow him to gather   
ambient ki and use it to replenish his own supply, he cannot do so nearly as   
quickly as he could in his own body, as doing so would put too much of a strain   
on his body. Supply: Around 95% at present. Recovers at around 1%. With ki-  
gathering, can recover at about 5% of what he could recover unaided before.  
Magic: While Ranma retains all of his knowledge of magic, most of his   
magical abilities came from various magical items and trinkets, which were,   
obviously, left behind. In addition, the vast majority of his spells require   
either elaborate ritual, expensive or rare material components, or both.   
Accordingly, he has little to no magical power. While his phoenix powers could   
also be considered here, he didn't retain them, either. Overall: Less than 1%   
for combat purposes.  
Skill: 95%. Ranma didn't lose any of his skills or knowledge. This is   
where he comes into his own; he is, quite literally, the single most skilled   
fighter alive. However, Ranma's body can't take the strain of some of his more   
advanced techniques.  
Healing: He can use his ki to heal injuries almost instantly, but with   
significant drawbacks. See the section on ki for details. Accelerated healing is   
extremely draining, depending on the speed with which he recovers. Moreover, his   
phoenix powers accelerated his healing to the point of being practically   
instantaneous before. Overall: less than 1%.  
Basically, if he gets into a fight at present, it'll take him a   
considerable amount of time to recover, which is why he's going to such lengths   
to avoid fighting. 


	6. Chapter Four: Under The Brown Dirt Road

Disclaimer:  
Disclaim, that I do. Own Ranma or Sailor Moon, that I do not. Watch too   
much Star Wars and Rurouni Kenshin, that I did.  
  
-------------------  
  
Tendou Nabiki stared at the letter with a mix of shock and relief. "Wha...   
what?" she managed to squeak out through the tidal wave of emotions flooding   
through her.  
Her best friend, Hino Rei, decided to speak up. "I found that letter in   
the hallway," she said.  
"Oh," Nabiki responded with a sweatdrop.  
"I wonder," Rei mused, "He must have been listening in on us, ne?"  
"Yeah," Nabiki replied, "So... who is this 'Tenmou no Heijin', anyway?"  
"I don't know," Rei answered, her voice showing her frustration "but I'd   
like to find out."  
  
-------------------  
  
Reflection,  
  
By  
  
Aleh,  
  
Chapter Four: Under The Brown Dirt Road  
  
-------------------  
  
Five days later...  
Ranma and Ranko were walking home from school, talking.  
"So, how'd I do?" Ranma asked, swinging his bag over his shoulder.  
"Not bad, not bad at all," Ranko admitted, "You managed to avoid just   
about any suspicion."  
"Oh?" he replied, "Nabiki seemed curious about something."  
"Nah," Ranko answered, "She was just curious about the Saotome Ryu. Her   
father never mentioned it to her."  
"Oh, so when you mentioned it at the shrine..."  
"Exactly."  
Ranma chuckled. "Well, that explains some of her questions."  
"Oh?"  
"Yeah. She was asking me about our family, mainly. She was a little   
curious about what we bought the ofuda for, but I just said that we thought that   
some of Oyaji's behavior could have been explained by a gluttony demon."  
Ranko laughed at that.  
"Well, he *IS* worse than some I've met."  
Ranko clutched her sides in an effort not to fall over.  
Ranma decided that it was time to change the topic.  
"I think I've almost convinced the school to let me take that job with   
Tofu-sensei," he commented, choosing a subject at random.  
"Oh?" his sister asked, curious.  
"Yeah. The bureaucracy's been a pain, but I have techniques for that."   
Ranma chuckled at something that only he understood.  
Ranko's eyes widened as all of her earlier doubts crashed back on her.   
Noticing the change in her aura, Ranma stopped in his tracks.  
"What?" he inquired, an expression of confusion on his face.  
"What kind of techniques?" she asked, her face clouded with suspicion.  
Realizing what Ranko thought, Ranma laughed in relief. "Nothing like   
*THAT*, Ranko-chan," he said, "Most of 'em are from the Benron Kakutou Hiraguchi   
Ryuu."  
Ranko stared in shock. "A school of Martial Arts *DEBATE*?!?" she   
exclaimed, half in disbelief.  
Ranma chuckled. "It's not any weirder than an Art based on cha no yu, is   
it?"  
Ranko joined in her brother's mirth, her suspicions once again laid to   
rest. "No, it's not, 'niichan," she agreed.  
  
-------------------  
  
Meanwhile, Nabiki was talking to Rei over the phone.  
"Any luck?" she asked, "I haven't found anything."  
"No. I haven't either," Rei replied, "Whoever this 'Tenmou no Heijin' is,   
he's almost impossible to find."  
"At least when he doesn't want to be," Nabiki agreed. "He's kept up his   
morning activities, too."  
"You mean the wards?"  
"Yep. Every morning just before school. I've been having to take them off   
for him. At least the job pays well." Nabiki chuckled over the phone.  
"Oh?"  
"Yeah, 10,000 yen every morning, plus I now have a rather nice collection   
of demon-hunter wards. Good ones, too."  
Rei laughed. "True. It's hard to believe that someone like that would take   
an interest in the situation over there."  
"I just wonder why he hasn't taken a hand more directly."  
Rei's voice grew somber. "Grandfather has a theory about that."  
"What?" Nabiki asked curiously.  
"Well," Rei answered, "Grandfather thinks that he's trying to buy time to   
recover."  
"Recover?"  
"Grandfather said that he's probably recovering from some injuries or   
something. He said that anyone good enough to make those wards would easily be   
good enough to handle Kunou, even after I told him what Kunou was capable of."  
"I know," Nabiki agreed, "The fact that he was able to place them without   
being noticed is proof enough of that."  
"True," Rei replied, before moving on. "Any luck on finding out about the   
Saotomes?"  
Nabiki just grunted. "Yeah, I mentioned the name to father. He knew about   
them, alright."  
"Well?" Rei asked.  
"The instant I said that name... instant waterworks. I couldn't get   
anything from him."  
"Oh." Rei sighed in disappointment.  
"That doesn't mean," Nabiki continued in a mischievous voice, "that I   
didn't find anything."  
"Out with it," Rei amicably demanded.  
Nabiki sighed exaggeratedly. "Well, I managed to corner Ranko during lunch   
a few days ago. She didn't know much, but..."  
"Go on."  
"Well, our fathers were old training partners. Ranko didn't know any   
specifics, but something happened between them when Ranma and Ranko were just   
infants, around the time that Akane was born, in fact. After that, they just...   
drifted apart."  
"Oh," Rei answered, "Do you know what happened?"  
"No," Nabiki replied, "Neither Ranko nor Ranma knew much, and Dad just   
breaks out the waterworks whenever I ask."  
"Could they be lying?"  
"The Saotomes? Nah, I doubt it. They were too young to remember, and if   
their father's anything like mine, he's not going to talk about it."  
"Oh. Well, what do you know about them?"  
Nabiki sighed. "Well, Ranko's..."  
The conversation dragged on for several more minutes before winding down.  
  
-------------------  
  
Akane sat on her bed, musing over the events of the past few days. While   
she was glad about the relief from having to fight Kunou, Akane just wondered   
what on Earth was going on. Nabiki had told her what Hino-sensei had told her   
about the wards that the devil-hunter (what else could he be?) had used, but...   
why would he bother? Akane dealt with the problem in the only way she could: she   
pushed it aside and focused on something else.  
With that thought, Akane gently fingered the age-yellowed scroll that she   
had just finished reading. A student in another class, Saotome Ranko, had   
confronted her at lunch and given it to her, saying that it had once belonged to   
the Grandmaster of their school. Yes, *THEIR* school. Apparently, Ranko was the   
heir to the other branch of the Musabetsu Kakutou Ryuu. Who would've thought?   
Anyway, Ranko had said that she had already transcribed the scroll for her own   
use, and that Akane might find the techniques helpful.  
In fact, if the scroll hadn't been so old, it might almost have seemed to   
be written just for her. Every technique on it was just above her current level,   
just advanced enough for her to understand, yet to make mastering them a   
challenge.  
They were mostly ki-focusing techniques, methods for accessing her life-  
energy and using it to improve her abilities, including strength, speed, stamina   
and healing. In fact, going over the scroll, it quickly became obvious that she   
had been subconsciously using an anger-based ki-focus. Given that the scroll   
waxed poetic on the dangers of doing so, Akane quickly decided to master the   
scroll's techniques as soon as she could.  
  
-------------------  
  
"So, 'niichan," Ranko began, turning to her brother.  
"Yes, Ranko?" he asked curiously.  
"Where'd you get that scroll, anyway?"  
Ranma chuckled. "I wrote it, of course."  
Ranko's eyes widened. "It was at least sixty years old," she almost   
shouted, "The paper was yellow and falling apart!"  
Ranma just smirked. "Ginzouzai Kakutou Nisezu Ryuu."  
Ranko facefaulted.  
  
-------------------  
  
"Everything's going according to plan," Ranma thought later that night,   
"The scroll I had Ranko give Akane should help her with the morning fights, not   
to mention helping when I start to train her, later. She still needs a sensei,   
though, and I'm not ready yet... I suppose it's time."  
With that thought, Ranma stood up and left his room. Taking a moment to   
gather his thoughts, he walked up to his sister's door and knocked.  
"Come in," Ranko called out.  
As Ranma opened the door and stepped in, he noticed a subtle change in his   
sister's aura.  
"Been studying those techniques I showed you?" he asked.  
"Umm... yeah," Ranko acknowledged.  
Ranma smiled. "Good. I should be able to start teaching you formally   
soon."  
Ranko's eyes widened. "You're back in shape already?"  
Ranma shook his head. "No, not even close." He chuckled briefly. "Although   
I'm probably in better shape than my... err... former self ever was."  
Ranko grinned widely. "You've got that right."  
"Well, I'm planning on taking a trip tomorrow."  
Ranko frowned. "Where?"  
"To free Happousai."  
"Oh."  
  
-------------------  
  
The next morning, Ranma walked down the street, a satchel (containing   
various supplies) over his shoulder. His father hadn't even batted an eye when   
Ranma had told him that he wouldn't be back until dinnertime, if then, and Ranko   
had been expecting it. Nodoka probably would've made a fuss, but Ranma waited   
until she was out of the room to tell everyone. Ironically enough, the shortest   
route to the train station from his house passed less than a block from the   
Tendou dojo. As he neared the area, he noticed a certain delusional kendoist   
rushing by, probably going to proclaim his 'love' to Akane. Feeling utterly   
nauseated, Ranma ducked behind a corner and once again invoked the Goshin Dai   
Ryu Sei Fu. Kunou never knew what hit him (and Nabiki managed to make still more   
money off of him when Akane passed by him during her morning jog).  
  
-------------------  
  
Around lunchtime, Ranma finally arrived at his destination, the cave where   
Soun and Genma had sealed their lecherous master in his universe. Unsurprised,   
Ranma noticed that the ward-covered boulder that blocked the cave during his   
version of Happy's rather brief imprisonment was not present, but wasn't   
worried. Ranma quickly sat down and began to meditate, spreading his aura across   
the area, looking for traces of Happousai's aura. After slightly over an hour,   
Ranma finally picked up a trace, almost three miles from his present location.   
Sighing, Ranma boosted his speed and headed off, bounding across the landscape   
like a hyperactive grasshopper.  
  
-------------------  
  
Ten minutes later, Ranma stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow. While a   
good portion of his athletic performance came from his ki, he had also used the   
opportunity to exercise his leg muscles, both because of the workout value and   
the fact that he needed to avoid using up his limited supply of energy. He only   
hoped that Happy wouldn't force a conflict; Ranma couldn't afford to face off   
against an opponent of his caliber at the moment, as he needed his reserves for   
other tasks.  
Extending his senses once again, Ranma noticed that the trace was actually   
active, buried almost directly underneath his feet. Sighing, he began to scan   
the area, mentally tracing out the patterns of the local cave system.   
Unfortunately, Happousai had been sealed in far more thoroughly this time, and   
there were no entrances nearby. In fact, Happousai hadn't even been sealed in a   
natural cave, but a manmade pit, which had then been collapsed on him.  
"Bakusai Tenketsu," Ranma called out, pressing a finger to the ground and   
beginning the lengthy process of excavation.  
  
-------------------  
  
After an hour of blasting the ground with various mining techniques that   
he didn't often use for their original purpose (Bakusai Tenketsu for the rocks,   
the Tsuta Toukou Ken for roots, and, as reluctant as he was to use it in his   
present condition, the Seishouha for loosely-packed soil), Ranma finally got   
close enough to Happy's position to begin to excavate by hand. Within twenty   
minutes, he had what he had come for, a small ivory bead which Happousai had   
kept around his neck as a security precaution. Precisely focusing a small amount   
of energy into it in a pattern that he had learned hundreds of years prior,   
Ranma released the old man from the former Joketsuzoku treasure.  
"Pa... panties...," Happousai gasped, reaching upward with his hand, to   
all appearances like a starving man grasping at a loaf of bread.  
Ranma took a look at the man and shook his head. Quickly summoning a small   
amount of ki into his hand, he held it out to Happy and released it into his   
father's master's chest, where it promptly dissipated into his skin.  
Happousai almost instantly perked up, feeling himself revitalized by   
Ranma's ki-transfusion. Turning towards his rescuer, he instantly gasped at the   
sight (and aura).  
"Honored one," he said, bowing deeply, "What brings one such as yourself   
to my humble presence?"  
Inwardly, Ranma laughed. This was going to be easier than he'd thought.  
  
-------------------  
  
The trip back to Nerima was far quicker than the trip out, due to the   
certainty of the destination, decreased crowding, and, to a lesser extent,   
Happousai's presence. On the way, they discussed the situation, Ranma's plans,   
and how Happy fit into them. While Ranma was somewhat surprised at Happousai's   
willingness to help, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.   
Moreover, Happy passed over the title of Grandmaster readily, actually going so   
far as to suggest it himself.  
"Ranma, m'boy," Happy commented on the train, "I'm getting old. It's well   
past time that I train an heir, and you already know all of my techniques. I'd   
be honored if you would take on the school's leadership in this world as well as   
your own. Besides, you already have the title, even if it's not from here."  
Ranma bowed as best he could from where he was sitting ('crowded' is a   
comparative term in a Tokyo subway), and answered, inwardly grinning, "I'd be   
honored, sensei."  
Happousai waved it off. "Please," he replied, "Just call me Happy. As of   
now, I'm officially retired as Grandmaster of the Musabetsu Kakutou Ryuu."  
"Okay, Happy," Ranma said in response, "but if you start calling *ME*   
'sensei', I'll scream."  
"Don't like formality, do you?"  
At Ranma's nod, Happy burst into laughter.  
  
-------------------  
  
"Well, this is where we part ways," Ranma said as they passed the   
intersection where Ranma had warded Kunou earlier. Casually noting that Kunou   
wasn't there anymore, Ranma guessed (correctly) that Nabiki had found the moron.  
"I'll see you tomorrow, m'boy," Happy replied, turning the corner towards   
the Tendou Dojo.  
Ranma waved and continued on his way home.  
  
-------------------  
  
"How'd it go?" Ranko said by way of greeting upon Ranma's arrival.  
"Surprisingly well, actually," Ranma answered, happily, "He's going to   
stop by tomorrow after school."  
"Who is, boy?" asked Genma from the dinner table, where he was reading a   
newspaper.  
"Oh," Ranma replied with a smirk and an unusual glimmer in his eyes,   
"Just an old acquaintance."  
"Oh. Well," Genma said, beginning to mutter under his breath. Enhancing   
his hearing slightly, Ranma began to make out the words. "... probably some   
pathetic little weakling..." Having heard enough, Ranma decided to interrupt.  
"I'll be sure to tell Happy that you called him that," Ranma called out,   
receiving instant gratification in the form of Genma's panicked expression. An   
instant later, though, Genma relaxed.  
"Nah," he reassured himself, "It can't be."  
"Well," Ranma thought to himself, inwardly chuckling, "He can't say that I   
didn't warn him."  
  
-------------------  
  
Later that night, Ranko sought out her brother.  
"So, what happened?" she asked.  
"Well," Ranma answered, "I found him buried around twenty feet   
underground..."  
  
-------------------  
  
"... and then I asked him what he'd done to my ki-flows."  
Ranko's eyes widened. "What did he say?"  
Ranma gently chuckled. "Once again, it was Oyaji's fault."  
Ranko cocked her head. "How?"  
"Well, Happy saw that I'd come down with something. I'm not sure what, and   
Happousai didn't remember. The point is, he was trying to realign my ki to help   
me fight it off, when Oyaji came storming by, yelling about how he wasn't going   
to let him turn his daughter into some kind of perverted sex-slave."  
"Huh?" she asked.  
Ranma laughed bitterly. "He found out that Happousai was doing something   
to one of us and jumped to conclusions... again."  
"Oyaji no baka," Ranko mused.  
Ranma rolled his eyes. "You have *NO* idea," he said, "He threw a Kijin   
Raishu Dan at Happy, who didn't have an effective counter. After Happousai   
dodged to the side, he grabbed me by the leg and ran off. Of all the times for   
the moron to actually show a spine..."  
Ranko's eyes widened more. "He grabbed an infant by the leg and ran off?"  
"Yeah, rather roughly, too. That accounts for the bone damage, ne?"  
"Yeah."  
"Anyway, he and Soun sealed Happy up before he could finish, and, well...   
you get the idea."  
"So it was just one giant screwup..."  
"Yep," Ranma acknowledged, "Despite what Oyaji says, Happoussai's not   
evil. Perverted and rather petty, yeah, but not actually evil. Most of his   
reputation comes from how he draws his power."  
Ranko blinked. "What?"  
"Well," Ranma replied, thinking back to the story that he had been told   
years ago, "One of the main problems in drawing ambient ki is that most of it's   
not of a type that the we can readily use. You have to convert it to something   
that you can, and that process puts a substantial strain on your body."  
Ranko nodded in understanding.  
"Well, when Happousai was younger, around thirty or so, actually, he found   
a way around that."  
"What?" Ranko asked, intensely curious.  
"With a few exceptions, such as myself and Happousai, people don't make   
very efficient use of their ki. A good portion of their internal energy is   
wasted, 'bled off', so to speak. Happousai learned how to make use of that   
energy."  
"Wow," Ranko said, "So what's the problem?"  
Ranma laughed. "Well, it wouldn't be a problem if that was all. You see,   
there are certain parts of the body that give off more ki than others, and those   
are the only parts that give off enough energy to make the process worthwhile."  
"Well, what's the problem?" Ranko repeated.  
"Where those areas are."  
Ranko blinked. "Where are they?"  
"As a general rule, the emission of ki increases in direct proportion to   
skin sensitivity."  
Ranko blinked hard. "You mean..."  
"Yep, got it in one."  
"Oh."  
"Anyway, he doesn't need to absorb it directly, but that actually makes   
matters worse in some ways."  
Ranko blinked again.  
"If something is in direct contact with someone for a long enough time,   
it'll absorb a part of their aura, a quantity of ki. Again, it has to be in   
direct contact, and preferably with one of the areas that leaks a substantial   
amount of energy, or it won't be worth the effort of drawing from."  
"You mean..."  
"Yep, underwear."  
"Oh, dear," Ranko muttered, grasping the implications.  
"Well, at first he could have drained from anybody, but he preferred   
female 'donors' for obvious reasons."  
"Obvious reasons?"  
"He didn't--and still doesn't--relish the idea of fondling other guys or   
rubbing himself up against used boxer shorts."  
Ranko burst out into laughter.  
"So, he started drawing and drawing more and more female ki. It was,   
pretty much, and unlimited source of energy, after all, and he needed as much   
power as he could get. Eventually, though, he discovered the side effects."  
"What are they?" Ranko asked curiously.  
"There are differences between male and female ki. They're not all that   
large, but they're more than enough for your body to tell the difference. As he   
drew more and more female ki, his body started producing less and less male ki   
as it developed a... err... tolerance, or dependency, maybe, on foreign power.   
What's more, he was getting older, and needed to use more and more energy simply   
to stay alive and keep in good health. As such, he needed to draw more and more   
energy..."  
"Oh," Ranko replied, somewhat horrified.  
"Yeah. He literally needs to grope women and steal panties to survive."  
"And he has a reputation as a pervert because of it, right?"  
"Oh, don't get me wrong. Even before then, he was a bit of a pervert. He   
*DOES* enjoy the process as more than just a way to collect energy."  
"So he *IS* a pervert!"  
"Just not nearly as much of one as you'd think at first glance," Ranma   
agreed.  
Less than an hour later, Ranma and Ranko went to sleep.  
  
-------------------  
  
Woo! Another chapter done! Okay, so I didn't get to include everything I   
planned to, but it's in time for Tannim's next update, so I hope that counts for   
something. Now for the obligatory translation and explanation section.  
Seishouha - Ki-blast. Basically a modification of the Mouko Takabisha and   
Shishi Houkoudan that uses pure ki instead of an emotional focus. Literally   
comes from seishou (spirit, energy) and 'ha', blast.  
Tsuta Toukou Ken - Literally, 'Climing Ivy Fist'. Well, if you subscribe   
to the school that translates 'Hiryuu Shouten Ha' as 'Rising Dragon Blast', that   
is. Personally, I use 'Imperial Dragon Ascending to the Heavens Blast', but...   
aww, heck I'm not going to get into the difficulties in translating Japanese to   
English. Just trust me, it's not easy. Anyway, it basically gets plant matter   
out of the way by shoving it to the side without otherwise harming it. It's   
another technique that Ranma's picked up over the years. I have a history worked   
out for it and such, but that'll come in later.  
Benron Kakutou Hiraguchi Ryuu - To use the Viz technique of translating   
schools, this would translate as the 'Hiraguchi School of Martial Arts Debate'.   
The *ACTUAL* translation is a bit more complex (and slightly humorous).  
Ginzouzai Kakutou Nisezu Ryuu - Again, Viz would translate this as the   
'Nisezu School of Martial Arts Forgery'. And, again, the actual translation is   
both more complex and somewhat humorous.  
Now... why Ranma's... err... pulling weird martial arts styles out of his   
metaphorical rear end. Well, keep in mind that Akane died over a year after the   
end of the manga. Events in Nerima followed pretty much the same pattern over   
that time, at least as far as weird martial arts competitions were concerned.   
Add to that Ranma's rather... lengthy time spent wandering around (and learning   
every style he came across), and you can begin to see how he's run into so many.  
As for why Happousai was so willing to give over the school, please reread   
the beginning to middle of Chapter Two. Keep in mind that his ki-senses are   
around as sharp as Tofu-sensei's, if not more so.  
Now... about the contest that I started with the last chapter. Of all of   
the guesses I've received, only three have been 'reasonably close', and no one   
has gotten it right. Accordingly, I'm starting a new contest. One guess, same as   
before, but previous entries (for the last contest) don't count against you.   
Everyone starts with a clean slate. Yes, I know that that's pretty much giving   
the contest to those people who got it 'reasonably close' last time, but the   
prize is different this time, as well. First prize, for those who get it right,   
is a game of 'twenty questions', concerning the story. In other words, if you   
win, you can ask me twenty 'yes or no' questions about the story, my future   
plans, and whatnot, and I'll answer honestly and without evasion (with a 'yes',   
'no', 'I haven't decided', 'it won't show up in the story either way', or   
something else to the effect of one of the above). Again, previous entrants are   
encouraged to try again, even if you got it reasonably close (and hence got the   
runner-up prize) last time. The runner-up prize, again for a 'reasonably close'   
guess is the full explanation of Ranma and Ranko's rapport. For those who don't   
remember the contest from last time, the goal is to guess why Ranma and Ranko   
share said rapport. If you don't know what I'm talking about, *REREAD THE   
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS*! And if you haven't read the previous chapters, what are you   
doing reading this one? Trust me, you need to do that before you continue;   
you'll miss a lot of what's happening if you don't.  
Anyway, I hope that you're enjoying this. I certainly am enjoying writing   
it. By the way, as always, keep in mind who's talking. Ranma's not perfect and   
he doesn't know everything. He's already made several mistakes, and the   
consequences of his actions *WILL* come back to haunt him.  
Oh, by the way, if you haven't figured out at least three of the matchups   
that I'm planning, you really should have. After all, there are several canon   
Sailor Moon matchups that I haven't done anything with... and I'm not going to.   
I'm striking a balance here between the expected and unexpected, and I think   
that I've done a pretty good job. Right now, I hereby promise that the following   
couples *WILL* end up together. Usagi will wind up with Mamoru, Naru will end up   
with Umino, and Michiru will end up with Haruka. On the other hand, I *REALLY*   
doubt that my plans for Hotaru have ever been done before...  
One last thing... I forgot to mention this earlier, but if you win, the   
prize information is for you and you alone. If I find out that you've shared it   
with anyone else, you'll be disqualified from any future contests of this nature   
that I hold. The same goes for trying to enter more than once by using multiple   
e-mail addresses. 


	7. Chapter Five Preview

Gyah. The formatting really got screwed up when I tried to post this the first time; let's try again.  
  
"Why, hello," greeted Tendou Kasumi, the eldest of the Tendou sisters.  
  
"Hello, dearie," replied Happousai, the former grandmaster of her father's school, "Is Soun in?"  
  
"Why, yes," she answered, "Why don't you come in?"  
  
"Thank you," he said, stepping in, "You're Kasumi, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"You've grown into a fine young woman, Kasumi-chan," he continued, "It's good to see you again."  
  
Kasumi blinked. "Why, thank you. If I might ask, how do you know me? I can't seem to remember you."  
  
Happousai laughed. "The last time I saw you, you were only three years old, Kasumi-chan. I'm Happousai, your father's old sensei."  
  
Kasumi blinked again. "Oh my. Well, I'll go get father. You just make yourself at home."  
  
"Thank you for your hospitality, Kasumi-chan."  
  
"Oh my," Kasumi said before walking off, "What a nice old man."  
  
If her father had heard her say that and known who she was talking about, he would have had a fit.  
  
-------------------  
  
Reflection,  
  
By  
  
Aleh,  
  
Chapter Five: The Tearing of the Web  
  
-------------------  
  
The next day, Ranma headed to school with a slight bounce in his step.  
  
"What is it, 'Niichan?" his sister, Ranko, asked.  
  
"Everything!" he exclaimed, "The school called -- I can start work at Tofu-sensei's tomorrow, Happousai's willing to help, I'm getting back into shape faster than I would've believed possible, and I haven't even blown my cover yet!"  
  
Ranko blinked.  
  
"In other words," Ranma continued, suddenly calm, "I'm having a good day."  
  
With that, Ranma resumed his air of cheerfulness as Ranko facefaulted.  
  
-------------------  
  
"So," Rei asked over the phone, "This Happousai just showed up and your father's letting him stay with you?"  
  
Nabiki nodded, it briefly slipping her mind that Rei couldn't see her. "Yeah. He seems nice enough, though. Almost reminds me of your grandfather, actually."  
  
On her end, Rei blinked. "Old pervert?" she asked.  
  
Nabiki chuckled. "Yep. He seems to be controlling himself, though. Other than a few restrained leers, he hasn't tried anything. Dad, on the other hand, seemed *REALLY* put off by his behavior, almost like he was expecting him to jump up and grope us or something."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah," Nabiki answered, "And get this. He's Dad's old sensei."  
  
"No wonder he was willing to put him up for a while."  
  
"Somehow," Nabiki replied, "I doubt that it was a matter of gratitude. You should have seen him begging and pleading for mercy as soon as he saw him."  
  
Rei blinked again. "Huh?"  
  
"Happousai just walked in, and Father started bowing and scraping."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Happousai looked pretty disgusted at his behavior, though. I think they didn't exactly part on good terms."  
  
"Oh," Rei commented, not knowing what to say.  
  
"I'll try to get the story after school. I wonder if it has anything to do with what happened with the Saotomes, though."  
  
"It could," Rei agreed.  
  
"So... anything else?"  
  
"Yeah. It seems that our school has a new Grandmaster. Happousai said that he'd passed on the   
  
mantle and retired."  
  
Rei's eyes widened slightly as she took in the news. "So, who is he? What's he like?"  
  
Nabiki sighed. "I don't know," she responded, "I didn't get to ask. Happousai arrived around dinner, and afterwords, he pretty much spent all his time talking to Akane. I was going to ask him this morning, but he said that he had some business that he needed to take care of before I could. Actually, he seemed rather weak this morning, almost like he was sick or something."  
  
"Well, I hope he's okay. If he's your father's old sensei, he's probably a treasure trove of information about the Art. I mean, your father's even better than Akane or Mako-chan, and he's really out of practice, isn't he?"  
  
"Yeah," Nabiki agreed, "Happousai said that, too. Then again, he hasn't really been the same since Mom..."  
  
"There, there," Rei comforted, trying to reassure her friend.  
  
"Thanks, Rei," Nabiki replied after a few moments, "I don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
"Nabiki," Rei chided, "You're my friend. We need to stick together, ne?"  
  
"That we do."  
  
-------------------  
  
Akane practically skipped to school, Nabiki struggling to keep up.  
  
"W... Wait up, Akane!" Nabiki shouted ahead, making her sister stop and turn around.  
  
"What is it, Nabiki?" she asked cheerfully.  
  
"W... why are you so happy?" Nabiki panted out.  
  
"Happousai-sensei offered to help me train," Akane replied, a wide smile on her face.  
  
Nabiki blinked. "I... I thought... he was retired."  
  
"Oh, he is," Akane answered, resuming her walk, the bounce in her step blatantly visible.  
  
"So, then..."  
  
"He just offered to help, Nabiki," she said, "You know, give me a few pointers, not to formally train me."  
  
Nabiki blinked again, at something of a loss. "Oh." At that, Nabiki decided to change topics. "So... find anything... out about the new Grandmaster?"  
  
Akane stopped and turned around, still grinning widely, giving Nabiki a chance to both catch up and catch her breath.  
  
"No, not really. Happousai-sensei said that he'd visit the dojo in a few weeks, though."  
  
"Oh."  
  
-------------------  
  
Ranma and Nabiki both noticed subtle changes in Akane's fighting stlye that morning, and both, correctly, attributed it to Happousai's advice. Overall, she was fighting more gracefully and precisely, her motions flowing from one to another in a manner that had been lacking from them beforehand. Ranma, of course, noted that she had a long way to go, but the improvement was there, nonetheless. In addition, Ranma noticed subtle changes in Akane's aura, indicating that she had   
  
begun to master some of the techniques from the scroll that he had written for her, and was beginning to let go of some of her anger as a result, not to mention placing the remainder under her control. As he had told his students countless times beforehand (well, on his own world), 'a martial artist must use his emotions, not let them use him'. Akane had begun to take the next step along the path to that goal. Watching her, Ranma couldn't help but feel pride.  
  
The rest of the school day, however, was rather boring to the children (and ancient immortal in a sixteen-year-old body) of the two families.  
  
-------------------  
  
As Ranma and Ranko walked home after school, Happousai stopped them.  
  
"Hello, Ranma," he said, bowing politely.  
  
"Hello, Happy," Ranma replied, returning the bow.  
  
Ranko blinked. "This is Happousai?" she asked.  
  
Happousai turned to her. "My, oh my. She is a cute one. Your sister, I assume?"  
  
Ranko nodded. "So, why'd you call him an old freak?"  
  
Ranma pointed at where he was undressing her with his eyes. "That's why."  
  
By the time Ranko turned to look, Happousai was wearing an exaggeratedly innocent expression.  
  
"What?" Ranko asked.  
  
Ranma sighed. "You can drop the act, you know."  
  
"Hotcha!"  
  
Ranma casually removed his fist from Happousai's face, which was less than a foot from Ranko's chest. "She's still off limits, though," he continued.  
  
"Oh," Happousai said, dusting himself off, "Why didn't you say so?"  
  
"Nevermind," Ranko commented, shaking her head.  
  
"Why don't you go on ahead?" Ranma asked, "I'm sure that Happy here stopped us for a reason."  
  
"Okay, 'Niichan," Ranko replied, wanting to get away from the sheer aura of lust that Happousai was giving off.  
  
-------------------  
  
Turning to Happousai, Ranma frowned. "You didn't have to scare her off like that, you know."  
  
Happousai shook his head. "Ranma, m'boy, you may trust her, but I don't know her well enough to, and what I wanted to talk to you about is for your ears only."  
  
"And how would letting her know violate that? You saw her aura."  
  
Happy blinked. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Our ki-signatures are identical. You know what that means."  
  
Happousai's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "You mean..."  
  
Ranma nodded. "We have, at least in part, the same soul. I'm not too worried about why, although I am a bit curious. I won't go to too much trouble to find out, but I'll ask Amaterasu the next time I see her."  
  
Happousai's jaw dropped. "You've *MET* Amaterasu?!?"  
  
Ranma chuckled. "Of the kami, she's among the easiest to contact. Well, other than the Norns, anyway, but the circumstances which led to them being so easy to get in touch with were... rather unique."  
  
Happousai blinked.  
  
Sensing his father's master's confusion, Ranma chuckled again. "Belldandy, the Norn of the Present, was living with her fiancée in a temple in Nekomi. The other two were staying with them."  
  
Happousai blinked again.  
  
"It's a long story," Ranma explained, "I'll tell you later."  
  
Happousai nodded in polite acknowledgement before changing the topic. "I got those items you wanted," he said.  
  
"Good," Ranma replied.  
  
"If I might ask..."  
  
"Why did I want them?"  
  
After Happousai nodded in confirmation, Ranma answered. "For the most part, because I can use them. The necklace, for example, could come in handy as a disguise, not to mention its original use. Some others... well... most of them are too dangerous to leave lying around, and I know how to destroy the ones I can't use."  
  
"Well, m'boy," Happousai said, handing Ranma a small bag, "Here they are. By the way..."  
  
"Running out of energy already?" Ranma asked.  
  
"Yes, well..."  
  
Ranma sighed before holding a palm towards Happousai. After a moment, a ball of white energy formed in front of it and shot into Happy, where it was promptly absorbed.  
  
"Thanks, Ranma. I really do appreciate this; you know that, right?"  
  
Ranma smiled. "Of course," Ranma replied, "I couldn't do this for the version of you in my world; by the time I understood how, it was already too late. The cure would've killed him. With you, though, there's a good chance of it working."  
  
Quickly patting Ranma on the back, Happousai left, returning to the Tendou dojo to continue his work.  
  
-------------------  
  
"Yes, that's right," Happousai said as Akane finished a snap kick, "Now repeat that kata twenty more times."  
  
"Hai, sensei," Akane acknowledged, restarting the kata.  
  
"None of that, Akane," Happousai replied, "I'm retired, remember? It's one thing coming from your father; I did train him, after all, but I'm just trying to help you get rid of the flaws in your style."  
  
"Maybe," Akane answered, finishing a brutal three-punch combination, "but you're still teaching me."  
  
Noticing an approaching presence, Happousai turned towards the dojo entrance. "We'll finish this discussion later, Akane-chan," he said, before addressing the newcomer. "Yes, Nabiki-chan? What is it?"  
  
-------------------  
  
Meanwhile, Ranma and Ranko were sitting in Ranko's room and talking.   
  
"So... what'd Happousai want to talk about?" Ranko asked curiously, "And how can you treat that... letch with so much respect?"  
  
Ranma sighed and took the pouch out of his bag. "For the first part, he wanted to give me this," he said, handing the pouch to Ranko.  
  
Ranko opened it... and gasped in shock. It was full of golden and bejeweled objects, including some that would be considered priceless works of art by any measure. "Wh... what..."  
  
Quickly taking it back as Ranko's grip had loosened dangerously because of her surprise, Ranma spoke up. "Careful!" he chided, "Some of that stuff's dangerous, you know. I may be fast enough to catch 'em all if you dropped it, but I'd rather not have to."  
  
Ranko blinked, gathering her wits. "Dangerous? How?"  
  
Ranma sighed and took out a golden bracelet with three giant pearls attached to its exterior. "They're ancient magical artifacts that Happousai took from the Joketsuzoku when he was younger. Some of them do... well, less than pleasant things."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The pills embedded in the pearls on this bracelet, for example, cause a person to fall in love with the first person they see after ingesting one."  
  
Ranko blinked. "Are you serious?" she asked incredulously.  
  
Ranma just nodded his head. "Yeah. Here," he said, taking one of the pearls and handing it to Ranko, "They each have a different duration. This one only lasts for a split second. Try it."  
  
Ranko gave Ranma a dubious stare. "Are you sure about this?" she asked.  
  
Ranma nodded his head. "I can read the magical auras on the pills; they're rather simple artifacts, actually. Besides, there's only one way to get rid of 'em... they're pretty much indestructable otherwise. Later on, I'll take the day pill myself-"  
  
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?" Ranko exclaimed, shocked at Ranma's casual attitude towards mind-altering magic.  
  
"And make sure to look at Akane right afterwords. That's how I got around it last time."  
  
"Oh," Ranko replied, blinking.  
  
"It only lasts for a day, and it can't make you fall in love when you already are; they just lend a bit more urgency to the feelings. I can resist *THAT* easily enough."  
  
"And what about the third pill?"  
  
Ranma sighed. "I'll feed it to a dog or something. It's just about the only thing I can do."  
  
"How long does it last?"  
  
Ranma shook his head. "It's called the 'lifetime' pill for a reason, Ranko. It's permanant."  
  
Ranko gaped, jerking away from the bracelet like it had suddenly turned into a poisonous snake. Ranma sighed and replaced the Instant Pill's pearl on the bracelet befure putting it back in the pouch and taking out another item, a clear crystal vial.  
  
"To give you another example... this contains something called a 'universal solvent'. Ever heard of it?"  
  
Ranko's eyes widened in recognition. "You mean..."  
  
Ranma nodded. "It's like an acid that'll eat through literally anything unless it's magically protected. The vial, fortunately, is also virtually unbreakable... but its contents regenerate. It will literally never run out of the stuff."  
  
Ranko looked stunned. "How-"  
  
"About one vialfull a month; the vial contains enough to eat through around a yard of steel."  
  
Ranko gasped. Sighing again, Ranma replaced the vial. "Now do you understand why I treat Happousai the way I do, Ranko?" he asked. "Yeah, he's an old freak and a perverted panty-thief, yeah, he's petty and vindicative, but he does have his points. I'll admit that he often does the right things for the wrong reasons, but it doesn't change that he does them. Can you imagine what would have happened if the Joketsuzoku still had these artifacts? What a tribe of people who treat   
  
their men like slaves and whose marriage laws don't give the male any voice in the matter would do with a bracelet full of love pills? What a tribe of people who believed that 'mere' outsiders were inherently inferior would've done with things like that vial or the Chain of Eternity? What a tribe who believed that their laws took precidence over any and all others would've done with the power to topple governments? The artifacts that Happousai stole from them had that power and more. If they had still had them, I wouldn't have been able to avenge Akane's death, you know. I may have been good enough to take out a group of Joketsuzoku elders, but if even one of them had used the Chain, it would've been enough to change the outcome, you know. It wasn't for another five or six years, at least, that I was good enough to challenge someone with the experience of a Joketsuzoku elder and a body in its prime."  
  
Ranko blinked.  
  
"Think about it," Ranma finished, getting up and walking out, pausing at the door. "Try to understand."  
  
-------------------  
  
Later that evening, Nodoka answered a knock at the door.  
  
"Hello?" she asked, pausing to smile when he saw who it was. "Grandmaster Happousai! It's a pleasure to see you!"  
  
Happy chuckled. "Yes, No-chan. It's been a while."  
  
"Why, yes, it has," Nodoka replied, before pausing. "Oh, my! I seem to have completely forgotten my manners. Please, come in."  
  
As Happousai followed Nodoka into the house, he heard a crashing sound come from the kitchen. Recognising the cause, he quickly hopped over, opening the cabinet under the sink.  
  
"Pathetic, Genma. Really pathetic."  
  
-------------------  
  
Upstairs, Ranma noticed Happousai's approaching ki-signature and headed down. The first thing that he noticed was his father, cowering in the sink cabinet. Unconsciously echoing Happy's statement from just a moment earlier, he disgustedly shook his head. "Pathetic, Oyaji."  
  
Enhancing his hearing, he managed to pick up mutterings about "ungrateful sons" before Happousai burst into laughter.  
  
"Looks like we agree, eh, m'boy?"  
  
Ranma chuckled. "Yes it does, Happy."  
  
Finally growing a spine, Genma jumped out of the cabinet and attempted to hit Ranma for the blatant show of disrespect, only to find his fist intercepted by Happousai's pipe.  
  
"None of that, Genma," Happy chided gently as his former student lay crumpled on the floor, "I didn't come here for revenge, you know."  
  
Genma, recovered and bowing and scraping at Happousai's feet, looked up in hope. "W... why, Master? If not for that, then..."  
  
"Why, to tell you that I've decided to retire, of course!"  
  
Genma stared in disbelief.  
  
"I've even found an heir, one who's already managed to surpass me!"  
  
Genma's eyes bugged out and Ranma chuckled at the expression on his face.  
  
"Who? Who is he, Master?" Genma begged, grovelling some more.  
  
Happousai grinned. "That's for me to know, Genma. You'll find out soon enough."  
  
"Oh, hi, Mom," Ranma greeted, turning to where his mother had just walked in, holding some tea. How she managed to heat up a kettle and actually make the tea without entering the kitchen, he didn't want to know, but it was still an impressive feat.  
  
"Hello, Ranma," Nodoka replied before turning to Happousai and continuing, "Would you like some tea, Ojiisan?"  
  
"Why thank you, No-chan," he answered politely, casually sipping a cup as Genma continued his embarassing display.  
  
The meeting continued along that pattern, with Genma's grovelling reaching truly epic proportions as Ranma and Happousai chatted calmly with Nodoka.  
  
-------------------  
  
The next day at school was relatively uneventful, Kunou being warded as had become usual and Nabiki making little effort to find out the history of the Saotome Ryu, as she was waiting for an opportunity to ask Happousai, who hadn't spent much time at her home other than his now-common sessions helping Akane improve her form.  
  
After school let out, and Ranma had ensured that Kunou wouldn't bother Akane for a while, Ranma headed over to Tofu-sensei's for his first day of work.  
  
-------------------  
  
Okay... I'm having writer's block with this chapter, but I wanted my readers to know that I'm not dead. This is a sneak preview of Chapter 5, containing a good part of the plot... about half, actually, of what I have outlined for it. On the bright side, I've copied my outlines and such for Reflection to an electronic format, so I haven't been totally stalled on this story. My revisions to Rebirth are coming along slowly, due to the lack of decent C&C, and the new version should both be funnier and more easily readable. 


End file.
